What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a general copyright license that protects the creator but allows others to use it in some way. As of 2014, six distinct license types are offered under the Creative Commons umbrella.

Founded in 2001, Creative Commons seeks to enrich the catalog of public domain art by changing the typical "all rights reserved" copyright language to a more forgiving "some rights reserved." The six types of licenses range from the most restrictive "Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives," which allows personal use with no changes and requires attribution and a link back to the artist, to "Attribution," which requires only that the artist is credited.