Open Licences of OER
An open licence that permits reuse, retain, revise, remix, and redistribute is what distinguishes an OER from other copyrighted materials (note that most materials on the Internet are copyright protected). While some professors are primarily interested in the free access and distribution aspects, other professors value the ability to make minor tweaks or revision of the content.
There are many types of open licences. Creative Commons licences are the most common types used for OER.
Creative Commons Licences
Creative Commons (CC) licences enable creators to indicate upfront that they allow people to copy, reuse and redistribute their works. A creator may choose one of the seven licences available that meets their needs. When you find a CC licenced OER, it is important to check its licence type to see what you can and cannot do with it. As long as the licence does not have a No-Derivative (ND) restriction, you may adapt the material.
The public domain licence permits the work to be used without any restrictions. The CC BY licence permits the work to be used freely as long as attribution is provided. The other licences have different combinations of conditions. The conditions are described below.
Attribution - Provide attribution to the creator and source
Share Alike - Distribute the adapted work under the same Creative Commons licence if you modify or build upon it
Non-Commercial - Use the work only for non-commercial purposes
No Derivative Works - The work cannot be changed or modified
