Creative Commons logo

Two letters C inside a circle, marking a work offered under a CC licence.

Also known as: CC logo, Creative Commons symbol

Currency & commercialEveryday & digitalStandard profile

Meanings

The double-C in a circle marks a work released under one of the Creative Commons licences. On its own it says a licence applies but not which one — the accompanying condition marks carry that, and without them the badge is incomplete.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Identifies a work made available under a Creative Commons licence, the family of public copyright licences published by the Creative Commons organisation.
Common modern usageVerified fact
Carries no licence terms by itself. Which permissions apply is given by the condition marks shown with it — attribution, share-alike, non-commercial, no-derivatives — so a bare CC badge does not tell a reader what they may do.
Historically documentedVerified fact
The organisation was founded in 2001 to offer an alternative to all-rights-reserved copyright, and the licences have been through several versions since.

Visual description

A circle outline enclosing two capital letter C shapes set side by side, each an open arc facing right.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Commonly confused with: Copyright symbol
A single C in a circle asserts copyright; two C shapes mark a licence that grants permissions under that copyright. The Creative Commons badge does not waive copyright.
Part of the same system as: Attribution mark (BY)
Both are built from circles.

Compare: Copyright symbol vs Creative Commons →

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originHigh confidence: High confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Creative Commons — About the licences
Creative Commons · retrieved 2026-08-01
The issuing body's own published deed. Authoritative for what the licence permits and requires, and for the mark that denotes it. It is not legal advice, and it says nothing about whether a given work is validly licensed — only what the licence means if it is.
Creative Commons
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for identity, origin and current use, not for the legal effect of any licence — that is taken from the issuing body's own deed.
Creative Commons license
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for identity, origin and current use, not for the legal effect of any licence — that is taken from the issuing body's own deed.

Last reviewed 2026-08-01

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Licensing and rights marks

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Meanings

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Identifies a work made available under a Creative Commons licence, the family of public copyright licences published by the Creative Commons organisation.

Common modern usageVerified fact

Carries no licence terms by itself. Which permissions apply is given by the condition marks shown with it — attribution, share-alike, non-commercial, no-derivatives — so a bare CC badge does not tell a reader what they may do.

Historically documentedVerified fact

The organisation was founded in 2001 to offer an alternative to all-rights-reserved copyright, and the licences have been through several versions since.

Related & commonly confused symbols

Commonly confused with: Copyright symbol
A single C in a circle asserts copyright; two C shapes mark a licence that grants permissions under that copyright. The Creative Commons badge does not waive copyright.
Part of the same system as: Attribution mark (BY)
Both are built from circles.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originHigh confidence: High confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Creative Commons — About the licences
Creative Commons · retrieved 2026-08-01
The issuing body's own published deed. Authoritative for what the licence permits and requires, and for the mark that denotes it. It is not legal advice, and it says nothing about whether a given work is validly licensed — only what the licence means if it is.
Creative Commons
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for identity, origin and current use, not for the legal effect of any licence — that is taken from the issuing body's own deed.
Creative Commons license
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for identity, origin and current use, not for the legal effect of any licence — that is taken from the issuing body's own deed.

Last reviewed 2026-08-01