Frequently Asked Questions about Copyrights and the DMCA

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6868The copyright options available in most countries, full copyright ("all rights reserved") and public domain ("no rights reserved"), are occasionally insufficient to accommodate limited re-use of content in the digital era. Alternatives that attempt to add greater flexibility to copyright licensing have emerged in response. The most widely-used, [Creative Commons](http://creativecommons.org/), endeavors to strike a balance between the extremes and provide creators with greater flexibility and choice. Creative Commons licenses are a way for creators to offer the public limited permission to re-use, copy, distribute, and build upon original works. Creative Commons licenses do not "replace" copyright, and do not limit creator rights in any way. We encourage creators to take advantage of Creative Commons licenses. You can activate Creative Commons licenses by editing your document's settings once it is uploaded.
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7070Creative Commons licenses can only apply to original works, or works derived from other works in the public domain or the Creative Commons. Any attempt to apply a Creative Commons license to another's copyrighted work is copyright infringement.
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7272### Scribd supports the following copyright licenses:
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74<table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/copyright.png" alt="Copyright"></td><td><strong>Copyright. All rights reserved.</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Under traditional <strong>copyright</strong>, no one may copy, re-use, build upon, or edit your work in any way without your explicit permission.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by.png" alt="CC BY"></td><td><strong>Attribution (CC BY)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY</strong>&nbsp;lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-sa.png" alt="CC BY-SA"></td><td><strong>Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-SA</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to "copyleft" free and open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. This is the license used by Wikipedia, and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nd.png" alt="CC BY-ND"></td><td><strong>Attribution-NoDerivs (CC BY-ND)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-ND</strong> allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc.png" alt="CC BY-NC"></td><td><strong>Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don't have to license their derivative works on the same terms.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc-sa.png" alt="CC BY-NC-SA"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC-SA</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc-nd.png" alt="CC BY-NC-ND"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC-ND</strong> is the most restrictive of the Creative Commons licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can't change them in any way or use them commercially.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://www.scribd.com/images/static/copyright/cc/public-domain.png" alt="Public domain"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Public domain</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>Public domain</strong> refers to creative works to which the copyright has expired or been voluntarily forfeited. Copyright restrictions do not apply to works in the public domain. Content in the public domain can be copied, altered, or repurposed by anyone, at any time.&nbsp;&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>
74<table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/copyright.png" alt="Copyright"></td><td><strong>Copyright. All rights reserved.</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Under traditional <strong>copyright</strong>, no one may copy, re-use, build upon, or edit your work in any way without your explicit permission.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by.png" alt="CC BY"></td><td><strong>Attribution (CC BY)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY</strong>&nbsp;lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-sa.png" alt="CC BY-SA"></td><td><strong>Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-SA</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to "copyleft" free and open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. This is the license used by Wikipedia, and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nd.png" alt="CC BY-ND"></td><td><strong>Attribution-NoDerivs (CC BY-ND)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-ND</strong> allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.</td></tr><tr><td><img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc.png" alt="CC BY-NC"></td><td><strong>Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don't have to license their derivative works on the same terms.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc-sa.png" alt="CC BY-NC-SA"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC-SA</strong> lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/cc-by-nc-nd.png" alt="CC BY-NC-ND"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>CC BY-NC-ND</strong> is the most restrictive of the Creative Commons licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can't change them in any way or use them commercially.</td></tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<img src="https://s-f.scribdassets.com/images/static/copyright/cc/public-domain.png" alt="Public domain"></td><td>&nbsp;<strong>Public domain</strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><strong>Public domain</strong> refers to creative works to which the copyright has expired or been voluntarily forfeited. Copyright restrictions do not apply to works in the public domain. Content in the public domain can be copied, altered, or repurposed by anyone, at any time.&nbsp;&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>
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7777**Can I copyright my work by publishing on Scribd and SlideShare?**
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7979In the United States, an original work enjoys protection from copyright infringement from the moment it is created and "fixed in a tangible medium of expression." Publishing to Scribd and SlideShare confers no special status.
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