[cc-licenses] CC "non-commercial" content in a commercial website

Peter Brink peter.brink at brinkdata.se
Thu Apr 27 04:35:03 EDT 2006


Shanan skrev:
> Apologies if this has already been asked, I did have a
> big trawl through the list (and FAQ) and couldn't find
> an answer.
> 
> I'm putting together a website which will offer both
> free access and pay access features. I'd like to make
> the same CC content (including "non-commercial")
> available to all users of the site, regardless of
> whether they're signed in or accessing publicly. 
> 
> Users will also be able to submit new CC licensed
> content. As the content isn't the main feature of the
> website the same content will be available in both pay
> and free modes.
> 
> So - I know I can do this with the "by", "by-sa", and
> "by-nd" licenses. Can I do this with the "nc" licenses
> or would I have to make "nc" content unavailable to
> paying users of the site?
> 

If you create content (i.e. you are the copyright holder of the content) 
you may license it under any license(s) you wish (of course). You may 
also distribute the content using a commercial website - even if you 
license the content "nc". It's the licensee of a "nc" license that 
cannot use the content in a commercial context - not you, the licensor.

Any user submitted content needs to be licensed under a license that 
allows *you* to distribute the content on a commercial website. BY-SA 
would (IMHO) be the best choice in this case and then only because it's 
a copyleft license but YMMV.

If you do allow people to submit new CC licensed content, you need to 
make sure that the contributors are made aware of and consents to the 
terms of the CC license.

/Peter Brink



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