4 Licensing considerations for remixes/adaptations

All Creative Commons licenses allow users to make adaptations/remixes of works as long as attribution is provided and specific license terms are observed (for example, an NC license cannot be used for commercial purposes). There are, however, a few other considerations to keep in mind.

• When the work employs a NonDerivatives license (ND), for example, the work can still be adapted for personal use, but the resulting adaptation cannot be shared with the public.
• For materials that have a ShareAlike (SA) license, the conditions will change depending on whether the work using that material is or not an adaptation. If the work is not considered an adaptation, the work may be shared under any license terms. However, if the work is an adaptation, the work must shared under the same SA licensing conditions of the original.
• Not all CC licenses can be combined in an adaptation. The chart below demonstrates which licenses can be remixed, with compatible licenses marked by a green check mark.

• When the adaptation includes more than one CC licensed work, the licensing compatibility also must be observed before a creator can choose a license for her own contribution (the “adapter’s license). The chart below describes which CC licenses can be chosen as an adapter’s license. The licenses in green are fully compatible, while the ones in grey are not. Choosing a license corresponding to the yellow boxes is not recommended, though technically allowed by the terms of the license.