Understanding Creative Commons and public-domain licenses for video

Not every video online is locked down under all-rights-reserved copyright. Educators, archivists, public agencies and independent creators frequently publish footage under open licences that explicitly allow downloading and reuse, provided you follow the licence terms. Knowing the main licences saves you from guessing, and from takedowns.

The main Creative Commons licences

• CC0 and public domain: no copyright restrictions are claimed. You can save, edit and republish without attribution, although crediting the source is still good practice
• CC BY (Attribution): you may download, remix and share the video, including commercially, as long as you credit the creator and link to the licence
• CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike): the same as CC BY, but anything you build from it must be released under the same licence
• CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial): you may reuse it with credit, but not for commercial purposes
• CC BY-ND (Attribution-NoDerivatives): you may share it unchanged with credit, but you may not edit it into something new
• Standard platform licence: the default on most platforms, where all rights remain with the creator unless stated otherwise

What public domain really means

A work is in the public domain when its copyright has expired, when it was never eligible for copyright, or when the owner has dedicated it to the public. The rules differ by country, so a film that is free to use in one place may still be protected elsewhere. When a source says a video is in the public domain, look for the reason: an expiry date, a government publication, or an explicit CC0 dedication.

Where to find reusable video

• YouTube: search a topic, open Filters, and choose Creative Commons under Features. Only the CC BY licence is offered there
• Wikimedia Commons: a large library of freely licensed media, with the licence shown on every file page
• The Internet Archive: includes public-domain films and community uploads, each with its own stated rights
• Public bodies and universities: many publish footage under open terms, which is stated on the page where the video is hosted

Whichever source you use, read the licence on that specific item. Collections often contain a mix of licences.

The licence may not cover everything in the video

A Creative Commons video can still contain material that belongs to someone else, such as a licensed song, a film clip or a logo. YouTube states that the licence applies to the uploader's own content, not to third-party content inside the video. Listen for music, look for credits, and if in doubt use a different clip or replace the soundtrack.

How to write a proper attribution

Use the TASL rule: Title of the work, Author name, Source link to the original video, and Licence name with a link to its text (for example, CC BY 4.0). Put those four items in your video description or on-screen credits. A good credit looks like this: Title by Author, source link, licensed under CC BY 4.0. If you changed the video, say so, for example by writing that you trimmed or subtitled it.

A quick checklist before you reuse a clip

1. Find the licence on the page of the video itself
2. Check whether commercial use or editing is allowed
3. Look for third-party music, footage or logos inside the video
4. Save the page link and the licence name in a note
5. Add a complete credit wherever you publish

Why this matters

Open licences exist so that sharing is easy and lawful. They do not remove the creator's authorship, and they come with conditions that you accept when you reuse the work. Following them is how you keep that system working, and it protects you if anyone asks where a clip came from.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For anything commercial or high-stakes, read the full text of the licence on the Creative Commons website or ask a qualified adviser.