Copyright Concerns
People frequently assume they can use OER materials without restrictions since these resources are freely available to anyone. This assumption is incorrect since the creators of these materials retain their complete copyrights to their works. They are simply making them available to others using a legal mechanism called an "open license." These licenses define what permissions are granted to users. Any intended uses that deviate from the specified conditions must be cleared with the copyright owner.
Copyright Basics
- Copyright Law BasicsNOT TO BE INTERPRETED AS LEGAL ADVICE. This infographic highlights, in layman's terms, the key aspects of copyright law and how it relates to other intellectual property rights.
Creative Commons Licensing
The Creative Commons License suite (CCL) is the open license type most often used to identify OER materials. Please review the following for more information on what the CCL entails.
- Creative Commons LicensesProvides a summary overview of the current suite of licenses and how they bridge the gap between the "all rights reserved" restrictions of copyright and the "no rights reserved" freedom of use for resources in the public domain.
- Historical timeline of the Creative CommonsBrief slide presentation marking the key influences and events that influenced the establishment of the Creative Commons and the licensing suite.
- Anatomy of a Creative Commons LicenseBrief slide presentation reviewing the Creative Commons License 4.0 suite of licenses including their structure and intended purposes.
- Using CC Licenses and CC-Licensed WorksBrief presentation explaining how CC licenses work and interact with each other in the development of OER materials.
- Combining and Adapting CC Licensed MaterialsCreative Commons FAQ section that explains the conditions under which CC-licensed materials may be remixed and shared. Includes two very useful charts regarding the compatibility of specific licenses for remixing and determining what license is most appropriate for the remixed product.
- Creative Commons for Academic LibrariansBrief infographic illustrating how CC licenses impact the open publishing landscape including OA journals vs. OER materials.
Most OERs have a Creative Commons license on them. Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow the creator of a work to change the copyright from "all rights reserved" to "some rights reserved". There are a variety of CC licenses authors can choose from and they can be mixed and matched as needed. Many of the licenses allow users to edit the materials and customize them for a different use. Most of the licenses require users to provide credit to the original creator. Some licenses specify that you can remix and reuse, but not for commercial purposes. And there is also an option for limiting the creation of derivative works (although that wouldn't be considered OER anymore). The main CC licenses are listed below, but the Creative Commons website has more useful information about license specifics.
All images courtesy of Creative Commons.
Attribution (BY) - NonCommercial (NC)
Attribution (BY) - ShareAlike (SA)
Attribution (BY) - NonCommercial (NC) - ShareAlike (SA)
Attribution (BY) - NoDerivatives (ND)
Attribution (BY) - NonCommercial (NC) - No Derivatives (ND)
This section was reused from the University of Texas Libraries under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License.
- CC Open Licensing CertificationThe Certificate is an in-depth course about CC licenses, open practices and the ethos of the Commons. The course is composed of readings, quizzes, discussions, and practical exercises to develop learners’ open skills.
- Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational ResourcesWebinar on copyright issues related to OER use. Produced by PROGRAM ON INFORMATION JUSTICE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY at the American University Washington College of Law.
