Use TechSoup's Content for Free!

We hope you like our content, and we want you to use it! Content created by TechSoup is available to reuse by any nonprofit or library (for free!), thanks to our Creative Commons license.

This means you can take our content, post it on your website, or use it in your trainings or newsletters, and you don't even need to ask us for permission.

I'd like to explain why we do this.

What Is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a charity that champions reduced restrictions on copyrighted work by creating licenses that make it clear how material can be used, changed, and shared. It was founded in 2001 by Harvard law professor and activist Lawrence Lessig.

Creative Commons has devised a set of six free and easy-to-use copyright licenses. These licenses provide a plain-language, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use creative work — on conditions of the creator's choice.

For example, content creators can specify that their work can be reused, but not adapted or changed in any way. Creators can also specify who can use the work and for what purpose.

Creative Commons basically provides a free and standardized legal infrastructure that joins up the free flow of online information with traditional copyright laws that were devised in an earlier age. The larger aim of the organization is to support a digital commons that promotes the sharing and innovative "building upon" of creative works.

Why TechSoup's Content Is Creative Commons-Licensed

We share Creative Commons' belief in the free flow of information. We think this kind of information sharing is the essence of nonprofits and libraries' collaborative spirit. We therefore want charities and libraries to make maximum use of our articles, blog pieces, how-tos, tech-for-good news, and other nonprofit technology information.

That's the reason why TechSoup decided to adopt Creative Commons licensing in 2006.

We hope that our licensing policy helps your organization enhance your website and supplement your training materials. From our point of view, sharing our content helps TechSoup achieve its mission: making technology information available to every charity and library that needs it.

We are in pretty good company. Lots of organizations now use Creative Commons licensing, including the World Bank, Wikipedia, and MIT plus many other universities. This year there will be over one billion Creative Commons–licensed works across nine million websites. Find additional astonishing Creative Commons stats on the Creative Commons website.

How Our Content Can Be Used

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works License. The exact Creative Commons use terminology is that you can "copy and redistribute our material in any medium or format" for nonprofit or noncommercial purposes. All we ask is that you give us appropriate credit (called attribution) and a link to the original content.

Here is a bit more detail on how our content should be used:

• Provide attribution to TechSoup. In other words, you can't say that you wrote the article or that your organization is now the copyright holder. Just let everyone know it originally came from us and link back to the original content on TechSoup.
• Only use our content for noncommercial purposes. If you charge people to view your website or want to reprint our content in a commercial book, please ask us for explicit permission.
• Do not modify (make "derivatives") of the article. If you only want to use part of an article or want to rewrite some of it, also ask us for explicit permission.

Not sure it's OK to reuse our content? Just ask! Email our friendly blog team at: blog AT techsoupglobal DOT org.

Ready to Go Creative Commons?

Any organization or individual can publish just about any copyrighted content under a Creative Commons license, whether that content is a book, an audio file, a video clip, software, or any other creative work. That includes your organization.

If your organization wants to adopt a Creative Commons licensing policy, start by examining the content you want to publish and determining what licensing terms you want to apply to that content. The Creative Commons website is the best place to learn more about your options.

Resources

• Check out our Storify on how Creative Commons took over TechSoup's social channels
• Take advantage of all of TechSoup's best digital storytelling resources
• Learn more with Can I Use That Image for My Website or Newsletter?
• Read more about Free Graphics Software and Images
• Explore the Top 10 Sources for Free Images

Image 1: C!... / CC BY

Image 2: Creative Commons / CC BY

Image 3: marcos ojeda / CC BY NC ND

Image 4: Martin Fisch / CC BY SA

spanhidden