Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has developed a set of free and voluntary licenses for people to use to grant permissions to others to use their content.  In other words, when you create a piece of original content, applying a Creative Commons license is a way of telling others how they may use your work.

It is important to note that uploading content under a Creative Commons license is only applicable to your original content.  It is a common misconception that uploading somebody else’s work, like a popular new track, and enabling Creative Commons is a way to gain permission to use their work.  This is not true; uploading content under a Creative Commons license is insufficient and not a substitute for the required permission.

Creative Commons is also a way for others to tell you how you may use their work (as long as they have enabled Creative Commons licensing on their upload and you comply with the licensing terms).  You can search for content available under Creative Commons by performing a regular search, clicking on “Tracks,” and then filtering results for sounds you can use, modify, or share.

Even if a Creative Commons license has been applied to a work you intend to use, we still strongly recommend getting documented permission from rightsholders to use someone else’s work in case a dispute arises.

How do I apply a Creative Commons license to my original content?

You can select the licenses you would like to apply to your original content under the “Metadata” tab in the track’s settings.  This can be done at the time of upload or any time after.

If you have additional questions or would like more information on these licenses, you can visit: https://creativecommons.org/.  

Disclaimer: We do not give legal advice. The above information is only provided for informational purposes.  Consult a qualified attorney in your area for more information about copyright and your work.