https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry/pages/1688181135340

I've been using the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY) for many years, long before Wizards Of The Coast made it famous in the gaming world by licensing the 5e SRD, CC BY.

I intended to write about the CC BY license before ORC was released. I want to discuss ORC and it's potential but I want to do CC BY first.

If I license my story CC BY (which I do) it means that you can build on this story, change it, write a sequel, make a movie, it's all good. As long as you include proper attribution. Like this.

The Wizard and the Djinn
by Larry Heyl - CC BY

This serves two purposes. It explains to your readers just where you get off adapting my work. Because you have permission to adapt my work.

But more importantly the chain of attribution allows people who like what they read to find more of it.

If a work is in the public domain, or CC 0, then you can adapt that work without including attribution.

I never do this, but you can. I include the chain of attribution even if it's traditional or author unknown. But you don't have to.

But if you adapt The Wizard and the Djinn you have to include attribution. Because it's licensed CC BY.

At the Creative Commons Chooser I see that a CC BY license

Allows adaptations of your work to be shared

and

Allows commercial uses of your work

https://creativecommons.org/choose/

So if you license your story CC BY someone else can alter your story and make a movie of it and profit from that movie as long as they include correct attribution.

CC BY is a very permissive license. As close to public domain as you can get.

But you still retain copyright, you demand attribution, and you can come to other licensing deals on your story if you and someone else want to.

Creative Commons licenses are great and they allow creators to build on each other's work. But if a large project, like a Hollywood film, wanted to use one of my songs they would never accept CC BY. They would have to have a signed contract and know who to pay.

You cannot remove the CC BY license from a work once licensed CC BY. It is irrevocable. But it doesn't stop you from making other arrangements on agreeable terms. You still own the copyright.