Creative Commons

Creative Commons is the global nonprofit organization behind the CC licenses and public domain tools, enabling the free and open distribution of otherwise copyrighted work. We give every person and organization in the world a simple and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for images, music, research, journal articles, educational resources, and cultural artifacts; ensure proper attribution; and allow others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.

We've come a long way since we first got started in 2001. When Creative Commons was founded, the internet was a budding universe with high potential, and platforms widely used today like Wikipedia and Google were only just taking off. CC’s founders were keen to ensure that, as the internet continued to grow, safeguards to knowledge, culture, and creativity were firmly in place, and the Creative Commons license suite was born.

Now more than ever, CC recognizes the urgent need for these licenses in advancing Better Sharing, key to preserving our global commons. As we look toward the next 20 years, CC seeks to fearlessly advocate for Open Knowledge to address the many challenges our global community faces today from the Climate Crisis and educational inequalities to the spread of "fake news" and barriers in access to cultural heritage.