Creative Commons (CC) materials are resources—like books, images, music, videos, and academic content—that are freely available for public use under specific licenses. These licenses allow creators to share their work with varying levels of permission for users, from simply giving credit to allowing modifications or even commercial use. There are six main types of CC licenses, ranging from the most permissive, “CC BY,” which requires only attribution, to more restrictive ones, like “CC BY-NC-ND,” which allows only sharing without modifications and for non-commercial use. CC materials encourage open access, enabling broader educational and creative collaboration. For detailed information on each license, you can visit the Creative Commons licenses page.
1. The Easiest Option: CC BY 4.0 Licensed Material/ CC0
To simplify using third-party multimedia in your book, look for content under a CC BY 4.0 or CC0 license. These licenses allows you to use, adapt, and remix the material freely, provided you give appropriate credit to the original creator. You don’t have to give credit for CC0, but it is good practice to do so.
2. Using CC BY-SA or CC BY-NC-SA Licensed Material
If you choose materials with a CC BY-SA or CC BY-NC-SA license, keep in mind that you’ll need to license your book under the same terms.
- SA (ShareAlike): This means that if you use this content, your book must carry the same ShareAlike license, allowing others to use it with similar terms.
3. Special Note on CC BY-ND Licensed Material
CC BY-ND (No Derivatives) material can be used, but only if you do not modify it in any way. Here’s how to handle it carefully:
- No Adaptations: CC BY-ND content cannot be adapted, resized, or altered in any way. You may, however, use it as a standalone piece, such as an image within a collection of geographical photos.
Guidelines for Using CC BY-ND Material in Text
- Standalone Commentary: General commentary or factual descriptions alongside a CC BY-ND material are typically acceptable if they don’t change the interpretation or meaning of the image itself.
- Example: Including a CC BY-ND photo of a historical site with factual background information on the site’s history.
- Dependent Interpretation or Illustration: Avoid creating narratives or arguments that reinterpret or integrate the image as part of a specific point or illustration. Doing so could count as an adaptation, which the ND license doesn’t permit.
- Potentially Not Allowed: Using a CC BY-ND image of a historical site to convey a hypothetical scenario that alters how viewers interpret the image.
- Safer Approaches for CC BY-ND Images:
- Provide General Context: Offer background information that doesn’t use the image as a direct argument or point illustration.
- Keep a Clear Boundary: Visually separate the image from the main text, allowing it to stand alone without reinterpretation.
In summary, the more interpretive and integrated your narrative is with the CC BY-ND material, the greater the risk of it being considered an adaptation, which is restricted by the ND license.
Check third party materials with the Library
Check third party materials with the Library before inputting into Pressbooks, so that we can check for copyright, licensing, accessibility and quality to mitigate possible delays further down the publication production line. All books will have a final copyright/licensing and accessibility check prior to publication.
What happens if the third party material falls under copyright?
Handling copyrighted materials that are not under Creative Commons (CC) requires careful respect for the creator’s rights. Usually permission to use the material needs to be sought from the copyright holder. Some uses may qualify for fair dealing. Please check any copyrighted materials with the Library first before proceeding.
Template
Here is a template you can use to track third party content.