3.2 KiB
Licenses
Every record (artifact or 3D model) and every media file (image, document, video) in Dynamic Collection carries a license that tells the world what can be done with it. This chapter explains the available options and how to choose.
Not everything is a license
The platform distinguishes three kinds of entries:
- Licenses grant permissions: the Creative Commons family (CC0, CC BY, …). Choosing one tells reusers exactly what they are allowed to do.
- The Public Domain Mark (PDM) declares that a work is already free of known copyright — for instance because copyright has expired. It grants nothing new; it labels an existing status.
- Rights statements (RightsStatements.org) label media that are closed or whose status is uncertain. Copyrighted material is not "licensed": it is labelled with one of these (e.g. In Copyright).
Records vs media
Records must stay open — that is the point of publishing them — so only CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 can be selected. Media files may need the full range, including closed options: a photograph may be under copyright even when the record describing the artifact is open.
The forms only offer the options valid for what you are editing.
!!! note "Editing existing content" An edit form always includes the currently assigned license, even if an administrator has since retired it: you are never forced to change the license of existing content just to save an unrelated edit.
Available options
From the most open to the most restrictive:
| Option | Kind | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| PDM 1.0 | mark | Already free of known copyright worldwide (e.g. expired). |
| CC0 1.0 | license | The rights holder waives all rights: any use, no attribution required. |
| CC BY 4.0 | license | Any use, including commercial, with credit to the creator. |
| CC BY-SA 4.0 | license | Like CC BY, but derivatives must keep the same license. |
| CC BY-NC 4.0 | license | Reuse with attribution, non-commercial only. |
| CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | license | Non-commercial, with attribution, same license on derivatives. |
| CC BY-ND 4.0 | license | Redistribution with attribution, but no derivative works. |
| CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 | license | Most restrictive CC: share with credit, no changes, no commercial use. |
| InC | rights statement | In copyright, all rights reserved: reuse requires permission. |
| InC-EDU | rights statement | In copyright, but educational use is permitted. |
| CNE | rights statement | Copyright not evaluated yet: treat as potentially protected. |
Each option shows a short explanation in the form when selected. When media are downloaded, the zip archive includes the full legal text of the license (for CC licenses) or the canonical URI of the statement.
For administrators
Licenses are managed from the admin panel:
- Add further entries when needed — for example other RightsStatements.org statements (InC-NC, NoC-NC, NKC, UND, …).
- Retire an option by deactivating it: it disappears from the forms but remains valid for the content that already uses it. This is always preferable to deletion, which is only possible for entries not in use.