Introduction
Within the different modules of the Creative Commons licenses, especially the restriction NC – noncommercial use only – is very popular with the authors. A commercial usage is not allo- wed under this condition. However, deciding on a license that does not allow commercial use has extensive consequences: Many possibilities of use, like the inclusion in knowledge communities and archives, the Wikipedia, local newspapers, publi- cations, compilations and mashups, are in fact excluded and thus require additional approval – and that despite the fact that these inclusions are often wanted by the authors. This booklet will explain all consequences of choosing a CC license variant restricted to non- commercial use only (NC). Often enough, the intended effects which lead to selecting the NC module can just as well be achieved by other me- ans. In some cases, the NC module is completely unsuited to achieve the effects intended by the author. On the other hand, its use has extensive, often unwanted consequences on the possibilities of content distribution. The decision to apply the NC module need therefore be carefully consi- dered.
With the Creative Commons licenses, creatives are offered simple means to free up their works in a way that allows the public to use them. In a time where knowledge becomes ever more im- portant for the individual‘s development and that of society, the creative commons and knowledge commons gain in importance. Part of the know- ledge commons all works created by humani- ty that are freely accessible and re-usable. Only through commons is safeguarded that all humans obtain equal chances when it comes to accessing information, education and knowledge. Many creatives want to take part in establishing modern knowledge societies. They do not want to keep “all rights reserved”– quite the contrary: They have an interest in seeing their works used by many. This is particularly due to the oppor- tunities the Internet offers in distributing and exchanging knowledge and information in an unprecedented manner. Creative Commons (CC) is the best known set of tools to release own content. However, not every CC license is alike. A strong point of CC is to give creatives the opportunity to frame the usa- ge conditions that are most important to them. The user (the public) obtains only certain rights, while the remaining rights stay with the author or rights holder of the work. This is achieved by means of a set of different licensing modules.
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