Creative Commons says plainly that it recommends against using its licenses for software. The licenses lack terms on source code distribution, do not address patent rights, and are not compatible with major software licenses. Use a software license for code, and keep CC for documentation and artwork.
What Creative Commons says
The Creative Commons FAQ gives three reasons. First, the licenses do not include terms about how source code is distributed. Second, they do not deal with patent rights. Third, they are not compatible with major software licenses.
It points people instead to software licenses that the Free Software Foundation lists as free or that the Open Source Initiative lists as open source.
The one narrow exception
The FAQ notes that CC BY-SA 4.0 is one way compatible with GPLv3, but only where content is integrated into code so the two are hard to separate, and special considerations apply. That is a narrow case, not an invitation to license your code under it. If you think you are in that case, get legal advice.
Where CC licenses do fit
The FAQ says CC licenses may still be used for software documentation and for separate artistic elements, such as game art or music. A common pattern is code under a software license and the docs, images and sample media under a CC license. If you do that, say so in the repository so the split is clear.
What to check in a dependency
If a package declares a CC license for its code, treat that as a flag for review:
- Is the CC license on the code, or only on documentation and assets?
- If it is on the code, ask the maintainers to clarify or move to a software license.
- Check whether your distribution includes the CC licensed assets, and whether the conditions, such as attribution, are met.
- Record the answer next to the component.
What to do in your own project
Pick a software license for the code. If you are unsure which, read how to choose an open source license. For the docs folder, a CC license can work, and a short note in the README makes the arrangement visible.
Tag the code files with SPDX IDs so the boundary is machine readable. See how to add SPDX license identifiers.
A note on fonts, models and datasets
Software is not the only thing in a repository. Fonts, datasets and model weights may have their own license. The Creative Commons guidance covers software, docs and art. For other asset types, read the asset's own terms and ask counsel when unsure.
Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning give you the component list that these reviews start from, and you can try a free scan.
Quick check
Can I put my documentation under CC BY?
Creative Commons says its licenses may be used for software documentation. Keep the code under a software license.
Why not use CC for code?
The licenses lack source code terms and patent terms, and they are not compatible with major software licenses.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
