Anatomy of a CC license
This learning ressource will take you through the layers of a CC license, its elements and outline what the icons means. It will also touch upon Public Domain tools and limitation.
This element is made as part of The Creative Commons Certificate Course January- April 2025
All pictures and icons are downloaded from the Creative Commons Download page
The layers of the CC license
To understand CC licenses, it is helpful to explore the layers of the CC license. The licenses consist of three layers:
First layer:
This is the base layer or foundation of the Creative Commons (CC) license. This layer contains the legal code and is built upon copyright law, making it the fundamental layer, so to speak. It includes the legal provisions and serves as the foundation upon which the CC licenses stand.
Second layer:
The second layer, known as the commons deed, is designed for humans. Here, the CC license is explained in accessible language, allowing you to understand the conditions that apply to a specific material assigned a CC license.
Third layer:
This layer is intended for machines and is readable by search engines, for example. It enables technology to utilize metadata, so when you search on Google, you can find works assigned a CC license.
All three layers are essential for understanding CC licenses.
Learn more and see grafics about the three layers here:
“3.1 License Design and Terminology” (link) by Creative Commons. CC BY 4.0.
The License elements
A CC license consists of several small icons, and each icon conveys specific information about the rights assigned to the works.
Altogether there are 6 license types and 4 icons represent the possibilities.
 | BY: This icon you will find in all six licenses. BY means that some kind of credit must be given to the creator of a work. |
 | SA: ShareAlike Here the meaning is that if you adapt works, you will need to share it under the same license. |
 | NC: Means NonCommercial. This means that the shared work is only available to someone who will not use in a commercial way. |
 | ND: NoDeratives. This means that adaptations of a work cannot be shared. |
All icons above are from the Creative Commons download webpage.
Learn about the six licenses by the dialog cards below.
Public Domain Tools and How They Differ from CC Licenses
In addition to the licenses described, there are also two public domain tools. They differ from CC licenses because they are not licenses in themselves.
It is important to note that not all jurisdictions recognize the concept of Public Domain.
CC0: This tool allows creators to dedicate their works to the public domain, meaning that everyone can copy, adapt, modify, distribute, and perform the works, including for commercial purposes.
The Public Domain Mark: This mark is used as a label for works that are free of copyright restrictions. It differs from CC0 because it has no legal effect when applied to a work. Anyone can apply the mark to a work known to be in the public domain. For example, this could include old paintings that are free of copyright and are now available digitally from a museum’s website.
Icons above are from the Creative Commons download webpage.
If/how exceptions and limitations to copyright affect CC licensed works.
There are some limitations to apply a CC license to works.
1: It is not possible to apply CC licenses to software. The reason is that there are other better licenses suited for software.
2: A CC license can be applied by the person who holds the copyright to the licensed work. But if your employee owns the copyright to the work created you cannot apply a CC license.
Examples above are inspired by: “3.2 License Scope / What types of content can be CC-licensed? / Whose rights are covered by the CC license?” (link) by Creative Commons. CC BY 4.0.
| Made by: | Solveig Sandal Johnsen, The Royal Danish Library | Anatomy of Creative Commons License is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0    |