NoDerivatives (ND)
If you see a license indicating NoDerivatives (ND), then you cannot create adaptations / remixes / derivatives without additional specific permission to do so.
Note: Under the most recent 4.0 licenses, it’s clarified that if you make an adaptation of a ND work but do not share it, then that remix would be fine under the terms of the license. (Earlier CC license versions do not have this explicit permission, but fair use always applies.)
What is clearly allowed when using NC works:
- Verbatim use of the original.
What might not be allowed?
- It can be tricky to determine what constitutes an "adaptation" under the ND license.
- This is the 4.0 ND license definition:
“Adapted Material means material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered, arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the Licensor. For purposes of this Public License, where the Licensed Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording, Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is synched in timed relation with a moving image.”
- Note: the complexity of determining the bounds of this license can create chilling effects for the general public, even for legally permitted uses. This can make ND licenses difficult to rely upon as a licensor or licensee.
