Creative Commons for Photographers
What is CC Licensing and How Does It Affect Copyright?
Mar 30, 2009
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization designed to help photographers, artists, scientists and writers protect their works in a way that is comfortable to them.
With the recent news stories over Shepard Fairey's use of an Associated Press photographer's picture as reference for his Obama poster, many photographers are thinking carefully about how they want their own work to be used.
While many photographers choose to retain all rights, others don't mind- or even encourage- their photos being used for a variety of purposes. Creative Commons was designed to offer licensing of creative works so that the creators can allow particular uses without having to personally approve each use or release their works into the public domain.
How to License Photos with Creative Commons
With Creative Commons, there are a variety of ways that photographers can choose to license their works. Many of the different options can be combined, giving creators unprecedented control over their creations.
- The Attribution License- also known as the "BY" license- lets other people use the photo for any purpose, as long as it the photographer is given credit for the original.
- The No-Derivatives License- often listed as "ND"- lets people use the photo but not alter the photo or create anything new based off it. Creating a painting from the photo would be forbidden by this license, but using the photo as a screensaver or to accompany an article on a website would be ok.
- The Non-Commercial License – This license – also known as "NC" - allows other people to use the photo as long as they don't sell it. Posting it on a personal homepage would be ok, but printing it in a calendar or otherwise selling it to someone else is not allowed.
- The Share Alike License- The "SA" license gives users the ability to use the photo for non-derivative works as long as they give attribution, but requires that any derivative works be licensed under the same type of license. Photographers who use this option don't mind if someone makes a derivative work, such as a painting from their photo, but they want that painting to be under a Share Alike License, too.
Protecting Copyright with Creative Commons
Many people worry that licensing under Creative Commons will cause them to lose their copyright in some way, but this is far from the truth. In fact, it allows the photographer to release their works under specific conditions so that they needn't spend time pursuing people who might be violating a traditional copyright but doing something the photographer doesn't mind. Some photographers choose to CC license lower-resolution versions of their work but not higher-resolution copies.
Popular photo sharing sites such as Flickr and Photobucket have seen the benefits of Creative Commons and allow photographers to choose to license some or all of their photos this way. It isn't required, of course. Photographers can still choose to retain all rights on any photos they want to, but for those interested in the sharing and remixing of knowledge, Creative Commons licenses are a good way to participate.
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