Copyright and Creative Commons Licensing

An Adaptation, sometimes called a derivative work or remix, is when you create something with a copyrighted work(s) to the extent that it is a considered sufficiently original, worthy of its own copyright protection.

Not all changes result in a derivative of the original, and it sometimes can be difficult to determine if something is an adaptation or not. Some examples of adaptations include a film based on a novel or a translation of a book from one language into another.

Is it an Adaptation?

When using CC-Licensed works, you need to make sure you understand the original license, and respect its guidelines. Here are some best practices:

• If the underlying work is licensed under a NoDerivatives license, you can make and use changes privately but you cannot share your adaptation with others, as discussed above.
• If the underlying work is licensed under a ShareAlike license, then ShareAlike applies to your adaptation and you must license it under the same or a compatible license. More on this below.
• You need to consider license compatibility. License compatibility is the term used to address the issue of which types of licensed works can be adapted into a new work.
• In all cases, you have to attribute the original work when you create an adaptation.

Use this CC Adapters License Chart to determine which license to use for your adaptation. Consider choosing the more restrictive of the two licenses on the works you are combining as it eases reuse for downstream users.

CC License Compatibility Chart by Kennisland, CC BY 4.0

"4.4 Remixing CC-Licensed Work" by Creative Commons. CC BY 4.0