Copyright

If you own the copyright to your work, you can choose to apply a license to your work. Applying a license gives potential users permission in advance for how they can use your work, and removes fear, uncertainty, and doubt. For example:

1. Applying a license indicates that you are the copyright owner, so users always know who to credit through citation and attribution.
2. Most licenses allow you to choose which uses are allowed without your express permission - such as making copies, sharing, making derivative works - and whether commercial uses are allowed.
3. Licenses make it easier for people to know how they can use your work without having to ask permission or do a fair use evaluation.

Licenses can make your work more discoverable to unanticipated readers, and encourage innovative uses - such as teaching, text and data mining, and meta-analysis.

Here is some information about different types of licenses for different types of work.

The image is an infographic titled "How open is your preprint?" It consists of a large heading at the top and several sections below it. The sections discuss different licensing options for preprints, affecting how the work is shared and reused. On the left, an orange gradient bar labeled "OPEN" contrasts with the right side marked as "CLOSED."

Each section details a specific type of Creative Commons (CC) license:

1. CC0 Waiver: This license allows an author to place work in the public domain, waiving all copyright and related rights. It allows the reuse of preprints in any medium without attribution. This is notably ideal for datasets and works by U.S. government employees.

2. CC BY (Attribution): This license allows modification or reposting as long as proper attribution is given. Fits the original definition of open access.

3. -NC, -ND, -SA: This section explains Noncommercial (NC), No Derivatives (ND), and Share Alike (SA). It states restrictions such as prohibiting commercial use, how to adapt and share the material, and requiring shared adaptations to be licensed similarly.

4. No License: This indicates all rights reserved without a selected license. It outlines restrictions on sharing and reusing without explicit permission.

A "Remember..." section at the bottom highlights considerations regarding modifications to the work, permissions, and copyright agreements.

Copyright and Data

The ownership and copyright of data can be complex. When considering data, it may be more useful to think about rights and responsibilities, which can be more contextual and granular this simple copyright ownership. Data sharing, access, use, and preservation all intersect with copyright in different ways, so it is beneficial to start by considering what is being done with the data, and who is responsible for it. Copyright is not straightforward with data. There are complicated questions of what is and is not protected by copyright if other intellectual property laws apply, and who owns the data, especially with regards to institutional IP policies. The resources below are a starting place to help you in navigating this tricky terrain.