CREDITS• Art by Alex Roberts & Rebecca Rojer• Text by Rebecca Rojer, Jon Phillips & Alex Roberts• Thanks to Asheesh Laroia, Virginia Rutledge, Ahrash Bissell, Mike Linksvayer,
Eric Steuer, Diane Cabell, & Lawrence Lessig

COPYRIGHT NOTICEThis comic is in the public domain. However, please note that the CC logo is a
registered trademark of Creative Commons. Creative Commons also claims
trademarks on its license buttons. For more information, please review ourtrademark policies at http://creativecommons.org/policies.
HTTP://WIKI.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/SHARING_CREATIVE_WORKS

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Computers are powerful tools for creation. You can use acomputer to write stories, draw pictures, take photographs,
record music, and capture video.

4When you draw a picture, only one copy exists. You can keepthat copy, or give it to a friend, or maybe even sell it.

6But when you draw a picture on your computer, it is possible
to create a perfect copy of that picture. You can keep yourpicture and give a copy to your friend and even sell a copy, if
you like.

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Once someone has one copy of your picture, they have theability to make more exact copies and then share them. They
also have the ability to make changes to your picture, andshare that. But what if you don't want them to?

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This is where the law comes in. Although anyone with acomputer has the ability to share or change your creation,
because of copyright law, they are not allowed to do so
without your permission.**Though, depending on where you live, there may be specific exceptions to this rule. In the UnitedStates, this is called "Fair Use."

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The law automatically grants you full "copyright" over any
creative work you make, including the stories you write, thepictures you draw, the music you record, the photos you
take, and the video you capture. This means that unless you
say otherwise, nobody may share your work or makechanges to it.

14But what if you want to legally and clearly allow anyone in theworld to share and experience your work?

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What if you want others to build upon your work or create
something new from your original?

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While you could tell each and every person that they may use
your original, there is a vastly simpler way. If you would liketo allow for your work to be shared around the world,
consider using a Creative Commons License.

20Creative Commons is an organization which provides acollection of free content licenses that you may apply to your
work.

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A content license is a document that states the freedoms andlimitations that you apply to your work — an explanation ofwhat someone can and cannot do with what you make.

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Creative Commons Licenses have been translated into many
languages and jurisdictions (legal systems) all over theworld. They are designed to work internationally, so that evensomeone across the globe can understand the permissions
you have granted them.

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Creative Commons offers 6 different licenses so that you canshare your work exactly how you want to.

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All Creative Commons licenses require attribution. Thismeans that others may share your work so long as theycredit you. There are some other things to consider when you
choose to share your work with the world.

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Do you want to allow other people to sell or make money offof your creation without having to ask? Prohibiting people
from using your work commercially may limit how widely it isspread.

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This also means that no one can make any money from yourwork without your permission. You can work out individual
arrangements for commercial use so that you can get paid
when others profit from your creation.

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Do you want to allow others to make changes (derivatives) toyour work without having to ask? Prohibiting derivatives
might prevent others from making something really cool outof your original.

36But, this also means they may not use your work in a way
you disagree with.

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If you allow others to make changes to your work, you alsoneed to think about whether or not you will require them to
use the same license as you ("Share Alike"). A ShareAlike
condition ensures that the terms you chose for your original
creation are preserved, but also may limit how much thederivative work can be shared (and in turn, how likely it is forsomeone to use your original work in a derivative).

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On the other hand, Share-Alike ensures that your work isalways used under the terms you want, even after many
generations of copies and derivatives.

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It's up to you to choose what you will create, and how you
will share it with the world!

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http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Sharing_Creative_Works

http://creativecommons.org