Creative Commons Zero-ShareAlike 2.0 Univiral License (CC0-SA)
Tags: copyright, writing, licenses, copyleft
Published: 2020-07-11 16:16:51

---
title: Creative Commons Zero-ShareAlike 2.0 Univiral License (CC0-SA)
published: true
description: Make the public domain go viral.
tags: copyright, writing, licenses, copyleft
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/mubmn70p01ub2m9illys.png
---
CREATIVE COMMONS CORPORATION IS NOT A LAW FIRM AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. CREATIVE COMMONS PROVIDES THIS INFORMATION ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS. CREATIVE COMMONS MAKES NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION OR WORKS PROVIDED HEREUNDER, AND DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION OR WORKS PROVIDED HEREUNDER.

By exercising the Licensed Rights (defined below), You accept and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this CC0-ShareAlike 2.0 Univiral License ("Univiral License"). To the extent this Univiral License may be interpreted as a contract, You are granted the Licensed Rights in consideration of Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and the Licensor grants You such rights in consideration of benefits the Licensor receives from making the Licensed Material available under these terms and conditions.

**Statement of Purpose**
The laws of most jurisdictions throughout the world automatically confer exclusive Copyright and Related Rights (defined below) upon the creator and subsequent owner(s) (each and all, an "owner") of an original work of authorship and/or a database (each, a "Work").

Certain owners wish to permanently relinquish those rights to a Work for the purpose of contributing to a commons of creative, cultural and scientific works ("Commons") that the public can reliably and without fear of later claims of infringement build upon, modify, incorporate in other works, reuse and redistribute as freely as possible in any form whatsoever and for any purposes, including without limitation commercial purposes. These owners may contribute to the Commons to promote the ideal of a free culture and the further production of creative, cultural and scientific works, or to gain reputation or greater distribution for their Work in part through the use and efforts of others. For these and/or other purposes and motivations, the Univiral License is available for use.

The CC0-ShareAlike ("CC0-SA") license is a derivative of the CC0 license intended to leverage the copyleft concept of virality to actively compel the expansion of the public domain. A derivative work created by leveraging the near-public-domain-equivalent CC0-SA license must be licensed in turn under the CC0-SA license. Some might call this intellectually impure, but the folk copyright theory this license stands against is far less consistent. The Univiral License unleashes works to promote the creation of new works by everyone; folk copyright theory just restricts people and will never really promote the creation of new works.

The person associating CC0-SA with a Work (the "Affirmer"), to the extent that he or she is an owner of Copyright and Related Rights in the Work, voluntarily elects to apply CC0-SA to the Work and publicly distribute the Work under its terms, with knowledge of his or her Copyright and Related Rights in the Work and the meaning and intended legal effect of CC0-SA on those rights.

**1. Definitions.**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**a. Adapted Material** means material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered, arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the Licensor. For purposes of this Univiral License, where the Licensed Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording, Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is synched in timed relation with a moving image.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**b. Adapter's License** means the license You apply to Your Copyright and Similar Rights in Your contributions to Adapted Material in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Univiral License.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**c. CC0-SA Compatible License** means a license listed at creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses, approved by Creative Commons as essentially the equivalent of this Univiral License.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**d. Copyright and Similar Rights** means copyright and/or similar rights closely related to copyright including, without limitation, performance, broadcast, sound recording, and Sui Generis Database Rights, without regard to how the rights are labeled or categorized.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**e. Effective Technological Measures** means those measures that, in the absence of proper authority, may not be circumvented under laws fulfilling obligations under Article 11 of the WIPO Copyright Treaty adopted on December 20, 1996, and/or similar international agreements.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**f. Exceptions and Limitations** means fair use, fair dealing, and/or any other exception or limitation to Copyright and Similar Rights that applies to Your use of the Licensed Material.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**g. License Elements** means the license attributes listed in the name of a Creative Commons Univiral License. The License Elements of this Univiral License are Attribution and ShareAlike.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**h. Licensed Material** means the artistic or literary work, database, or other material to which the Licensor applied this Univiral License.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**i. Licensed Rights** means the rights granted to You subject to the terms and conditions of this Univiral License, which are limited to all Copyright and Similar Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material and that the Licensor has authority to license.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**j. Affirmer** means the individual(s) or entity(ies) granting rights under this Univiral License.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**k. Share** means to provide material to the public by any means or process that requires permission under the Licensed Rights, such as reproduction, public display, public performance, distribution, dissemination, communication, or importation, and to make material available to the public including in ways that members of the public may access the material from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**l. Sui Generis Database Rights** means rights other than copyright resulting from Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases, as amended and/or succeeded, as well as other essentially equivalent rights anywhere in the world.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**m. You** means the individual or entity exercising the Licensed Rights under this Univiral License. Your has a corresponding meaning.


**2. Copyright and Related Rights.** A Work made available under CC0-SA may be restricted by copyright and related or neighboring rights ("Copyright and Related Rights"). Copyright and Related Rights include, but are not limited to, the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;i. the right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, perform, display, communicate, and translate a Work;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ii. moral rights retained by the original author(s) and/or performer(s);
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;iii. publicity and privacy rights pertaining to a person's image or likeness depicted in a Work;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;iv. rights protecting against unfair competition in regards to a Work, subject to the limitations in Section 6(a), below;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;v. rights protecting the extraction, dissemination, use and reuse of data in a Work;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;vi. database rights (such as those arising under Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases, and under any national implementation thereof, including any amended or successor version of such directive); and
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;vii. other similar, equivalent or corresponding rights throughout the world based on applicable law or treaty, and any national implementations thereof.

**3. Waiver.** Under two conditions (see Section 3(a)), to the greatest extent permitted by, but not in contravention of, applicable law, Affirmer hereby overtly, fully, permanently, irrevocably and unconditionally waives, abandons, and surrenders all of Affirmer's Copyright and Related Rights and associated claims and causes of action, whether now known or unknown (including existing as well as future claims and causes of action), in the Work (i) in all territories worldwide, (ii) for the maximum duration provided by applicable law or treaty (including future time extensions), (iii) in any current or future medium and for any number of copies, and (iv) for any purpose whatsoever, including without limitation commercial, advertising or promotional purposes (the "Waiver"). Affirmer makes the Waiver for the benefit of each member of the public at large and to the detriment of Affirmer's heirs and successors, fully intending that such Waiver shall not be subject to revocation, rescission, cancellation, termination, or any other legal or equitable action to disrupt the quiet enjoyment of the Work by the public as contemplated by Affirmer's express Statement of Purpose.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**a. License Conditions: ShareAlike.**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to the Waiver in Section 3, if You Share Adapted Material You produce, the following conditions apply.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. The Adapter’s License You apply must be a Creative Commons license with the same License Elements, this version or later, or a CC0-SA Compatible License.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, Adapted Material that restrict exercise of the rights granted under the Adapter's License You apply.

**4. Endorsements.**
Simultaneously while waiving the rights outlined in Section 2, Affirmer explicitly endorses the following actions You may take. The actions not enumerated to You by Section 4 are reserved to the people respectively, of which You are a member. The omission of these other actions shall not be construed to deny or disparage any possibilities conceived, or not yet conceived, by the people.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. *Plagiarism*. Plagiarism is any copying from the Work of the Affirmer to create elements of Your Adapted Material where You have omitted any attribution or acknowledgement to the Affirmer and their Work. You are encouraged to plagiarize the Work with impunity in Your Adapted Material and Affirmer's enthusiasm for such plagiarism is beyond question.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. *Self-plagiarism*. Affirmer may create Adapted Material without attribution to the Affirmer in exactly the same capacity that You may create Adapted Material without attribution to the Affirmer.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;c. *Détournement*. You are encouraged to antagonistically create Adapted Material by copying the contents of the Work, repurposing it into an argument against itself.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;d. *Recuperation*. You are encouraged to antagonistically create Adapted Material by copying the contents of the Work, reframing it for the masses in a way that is non-threatening and reassuring to the powerful.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;e. *Permissionless distribution*. You are encouraged to Share the Work in any quantity via any medium or network.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;f. *Reverse plagiarism*. You are encouraged to claim an unrelated Work is the Work and attribute it to Affirmer.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;g. *Parody*. You are encouraged to appropriate the Work in order to make any satirical or ironic point with Your Adapted Material.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;h. *Theft*. You are encouraged to steal any and all tangible copies of the Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;i. *Prestidigitation*. You are encouraged to use the Work in magical tricks and any displays of legerdemain extant, extinct, or yet to be invented.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;j. *Scoring*. You are encouraged to create a musical score to accompany this book as Adapted Material.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;l. *Fun*. You are encouraged to have fun in any way You can during the creation of Your Adapted Material.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;k. *Profit*. You are encouraged to profit from Your Adapted Material if You so choose.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;m. *Face-to-face instruction*. You are encouraged to use the Work during face-to-face classroom sessions.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;n. *Virtual instruction*. You are encouraged to use the Work during remote classroom sessions via any network.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;o. *Destruction*. You are encouraged to destroy any and all copies of the Work with whatever means You prefer.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;p. *Translating*. You are encouraged to translate the Work into any natural or constructed language extant, extinct, or yet to be invented.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;q. *Obscuring*. You are encouraged to deface any and all copies of the Work such that they are no longer legible.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;r. *Derivative work*. In creating Your Adapted Material, You are encouraged to make any and all sorts of derivative works.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;s. *Nominative use*. You are encouraged to use the title of the Work in Your own Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;t. *Intertextuality*. You are encouraged to create any new Work which requires encountering the Work before fully comprehending the new Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;u. *Pastiche*. You are encouraged to copy the Work's style to evoke its tangible elements rather than copy them directly.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;v. *Allusion*. If You would prefer to not copy the Work's elements at all, You are encouraged to surreptitiously refer to the Work and these elements in a manner only understandable to those who have previously encountered the Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. *De minimis*. In addition to copying as much as possible from the Work, You are encouraged to copy as little as possible.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;x. *Eroticism*. You are encouraged to use the Work for any lewd purpose.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;y. *Pierre Menard*. You are encouraged to attribute the Work to Pierre Menard in particular.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;z. *Hypertext*. You are encouraged to use any hypertext techniques to connect the Work with any other Work(s), not limited to jump links.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;α. *Anthologize*. You are encouraged to collect the Work or any portion of the Work into any anthology.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;β. *Stripped*. In the event that the Work is intended to be sold with a cover and the Work has been stripped of that cover for the purpose of pulping or recycling, know that it was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher and is stolen property. Cool.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;γ. *Fictionalization*. You are encouraged to depict the contents of the Work in fictional scenarios within Your Adapted Material, especially if the Work is non-fiction.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;δ. *Rebinding*. You are encouraged to rebind or otherwise repackage the Work in whatever manner You choose.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ε. *Serialization*. The Work may be serialized in whole or in part.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ζ. *Multimedia adaptation*. You are encouraged to create Adapted Material in any medium extant, extinct, or yet to be invented.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ι. *Tweet*. You are encouraged to tweet the contents of this Work in whole or in part on Twitter, including thoughts inspired by the Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;κ. *Toot*. You are encouraged to toot the contents of this Work in whole or in part on Mastodon, including thoughts inspired by the Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;λ. *Handmake*. You are encouraged to recreate the Work by hand using whatever materials or techniques You wish.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;μ. *Sing*. You are encouraged to sing the contents of the Work to any tune You wish.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ν. *Queering*. You are encouraged to challenge any perceived heteronormativity, cisnormativity, or other manifestation of the domination or limitation of an oppressed group based on their identity, especially those constrained by unrepresentative binary social constructs, as depicted in the Work; You are encouraged to use an analysis that is intentionally anti-discriminatory on the basis of sexuality, gender, or any other form of identity.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ξ. *Pooh bear*. You are encouraged to create Adapted Material which incorporates Christopher Robin's teddy bear, Pooh.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ο. *Ozma*. You are encouraged to tithe the Work to Ozma, Child Queen and Rightful Ruler of the Land of Oz.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;π. *Food*. You are encouraged to use the Work for food or bake it into any sort of foodstuff.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ρ. *Rotation*. You are encouraged to reproduce the work in any combination of alternative angular orientations.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;σ. *Simplification*. You are encouraged to simply the contents of this book to any degree and portray it as a Work You created because You did create a new Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;τ. *Tautology*. If Your use is listed here or if Your use is not listed here, Your use is encouraged.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;υ. *Unpopulate*. You are encouraged to adapt the Work without reference to any persons mentioned within.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;φ. *Fortune telling*. You are encouraged to use the Work to determine the future whether or not Your method is in conjunction with any other method of clairvoyance extant, extinct, or yet to be discovered.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;χ. *Keychains*. You are encouraged to merchandise the Work in any way You choose, including the manufacture of Keychains to aid in opening gates to new worlds.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ψ. *Psychics*. You are encouraged to use the Work in displays of Extra Sensory Perception and Psychic abilities.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ω. *Fair Use/Dealing*. You are encouraged to rely on an exception to copyright that resembles Fair Use to justify the creation of Your Adapted Material if You are cringe and blue-pilled.
    
**5. Univiral License Fallback.** Should any part of the Waiver for any reason be judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, then the Waiver shall be preserved to the maximum extent permitted taking into account Affirmer's express Statement of Purpose. In addition, to the extent the Waiver is so judged Affirmer hereby grants to each affected person a royalty-free, non transferable, non sublicensable, non exclusive, irrevocable and unconditional license to exercise Affirmer's Copyright and Related Rights in the Work (i) in all territories worldwide, (ii) for the maximum duration provided by applicable law or treaty (including future time extensions), (iii) in any current or future medium and for any number of copies, and (iv) for any purpose whatsoever, including without limitation commercial, advertising or promotional purposes (the "License"), subject to the conditions listed in Section 3(a). The License shall be deemed effective as of the date CC0-SA was applied by Affirmer to the Work. Should any part of the License for any reason be judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, such partial invalidity or ineffectiveness shall not invalidate the remainder of the License, and in such case Affirmer hereby affirms that he or she will not (i) exercise any of his or her remaining Copyright and Related Rights in the Work or (ii) assert any associated claims and causes of action with respect to the Work, in either case contrary to Affirmer's express Statement of Purpose. If it is determined that this license has been infringed, the only acceptable remedy is the licensing of the Adapted Material under CC0-SA.

**6. Limitations and Disclaimers.**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. No trademark or patent rights held by Affirmer are waived, abandoned, surrendered, licensed or otherwise affected by this document.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. Affirmer offers the Work as-is and makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the Work, express, implied, statutory or otherwise, including without limitation warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non infringement, or the absence of latent or other defects, accuracy, or the present or absence of errors, whether or not discoverable, all to the greatest extent permissible under applicable law.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;c. Affirmer disclaims responsibility for clearing rights of other persons that may apply to the Work or any use thereof, including without limitation any person's Copyright and Related Rights in the Work. Further, Affirmer disclaims responsibility for obtaining any necessary consents, permissions or other rights required for any use of the Work.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;d. Affirmer understands and acknowledges that Creative Commons is not a party to this document and has no duty or obligation with respect to this CC0-SA or use of the Work.