Can You Use and Monetize Creative Commons Videos On YouTube?
In short, yes you can use and monetize creative commons videos on YouTube, provided attribution (credit) is given to the original creator. Creative Commons videos on YouTube hold the CC BY license, which allows the content to be used, distributed, adapted or built upon, and used for commercial purposes. Therefore, provided you have the required 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours watch time, you can monetize your YouTube channel.
However, there are a few things you should know about creative commons videos before you start using them.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in making money, check out this article detailing 10 interesting ways you can earn an extra £2000 per month. You may also be interested in these 21 easiest Fiverr gigs that require no skill.
Article Content:
• What is creative commons on YouTube?
• What Is The Difference Between Standard YouTube License and Creative Commons?
• Important Factors when using Creative Commons:
– Can You Reupload Creative Commons Videos On YouTube?
– Which Creative Commons License Do I Need To Look Out For On YouTube?
– How Do You Use Creative Commons Videos On YouTube Without Copyright Claims?
• YouTube Creative Commons Monetization:
– Can You Monetize Creative Commons Videos On YouTube?
– Are There Any Additional Rules You Have To Follow When Monetizing?
• How To Find Creative Commons Videos On YouTube
• How To Download Creative Commons Videos On YouTube
• Next Steps For Your Creative Commons YouTube Videos
• Can You Use and Monetize Creative Commons Videos On YouTube? Final Thoughts
What Is Creative Commons On YouTube?
Many people think Creative Commons Is just content that is free to use, no strings attached. But I really think it’s useful to understand some background. Especially if you want to monetize the content!
In actual fact, Creative Commons is an international non-profit organisation founded in America. Creative Commons themselves state they help ‘overcome legal obstacles to the sharing of knowledge and creativity to address the world’s pressing challenges.’ Simply put, they are renowned for increasing accessibility to various content, allowing for its legal use and distribution by others.
Many people also think there is just one Creative Commons license that covers everything… this is not the case. In actual fact, there are six Creative Commons licenses and each license has slight but important variations. Some are for non-commercial use only, but all of them require you to give credit to the creator. This is known as attribution. (Don’t panic, all Creative Commons videos on YouTube are one type of license: CC BY… more on that later)
In simple terms, the creative commons licenses allow creators to specify their own intents and rights to their content. Creators can either reserve their rights by selecting a standard YouTube license, or waive them by selecting a Creative Commons CC BY license. This allows other creators to benefit… like you!
What Is The Difference Between Standard YouTube License and Creative Commons?
When uploading content to YouTube, creators have two main licensing options to choose from for their videos. As mentioned, a Creative Commons license allows creators to waive their rights, meaning anyone can use, edit and redistribute that content.
However, if creators use a standard YouTube license, they only grant broadcasting rights to YouTube. What does this mean for you? It means you CANNOT use or distribute their content.
Important Factors when using Creative Commons:
Can You Reupload Creative Commons Videos On YouTube?
Yes. You can upload Creative Commons videos to your own YouTube channel.
Which Creative Commons License Do I Need To Look Out For On YouTube?
This has been made super easy by YouTube. According to this article by YouTube Help Centre, ‘YouTube allows creators to mark their videos with a Creative Commons CC BY license.’
This means ALL Creative Commons videos on YouTube will have the CC BY license which ‘allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format’.
How Do You Use Creative Commons Videos On YouTube Without Copyright Claims?
ALL creative commons license, including the CC BY license, means videos can be used ‘so long as attribution is given to the creator.’ Therefore, to ensure you don’t get copyright claims, YouTube strikes and to ensure you’re abiding by the CC BY license, you MUST ALWAYS give credit to the original creator.
If you don’t, you may get strikes or banned. This can significantly impact your ability to monetize your YouTube channel.
So, to be on the safe side, make it a routine to write down the original creator whenever you download their content to use and re-upload. This will make it much easier when you have to credit their work in your description.
YouTube Creative Commons Monetization
Can You Monetize Creative Commons Videos On YouTube?
As discussed, yes you can monetize Creative Commons videos on YouTube. This is made clear as the CC BY license ‘allows for commercial use’. As all Creative Commons videos on YouTube are CC BY, they can all be monetized if you use them.
Are There Any Additional Rules You Have To Follow When Monetizing?
No. Even if you are not monetizing your content, credit must be given to the original creator.
How To Find CC Videos On YouTube
You may now be wondering: ‘that’s great, I can use Creative Commons videos and monetize them. But where do I find Creative Commons Videos on YouTube?’
YouTube makes it EXTREMELY simple to find these videos. If you type your desired content into the search bar you will see the results as usual. Click on the filter tab and there will be a features section allowing you to only see Creative Commons content. If you check this, all results in the search with be free for you to use.
To double check, once you find a video you want to download and use, go to the description. At the bottom of the description there will be a license section that reads: ‘Creative Commons Attribution License (reuse allowed).’ The images below show how I found Creative Commons cat videos:
How To Download Creative Commons Videos On YouTube
Downloading Creative Commons content is also fast and easy.
Simply click on the share button under the video and copy the link. Put this link into an online video downloading tool and, boom, you have the video on your desktop. A completely safe and free website you can use immediately is ClipGrab. You can also use 4k Video Downloader which has a specific section for downloading content from YouTube. (This does require a free download first though!)
Next Steps For Your Creative Commons YouTube Videos
Once you download a video onto your device, you can start to ‘remix, adapt, [and] build upon’ the material. This means you can edit it in a way you want that suits the type of video you are going for!
You can also add images (and other videos and sounds) to your videos with these 19 best sites to get copyright free content. Most of these sites have mainly images, but some offer some great video and sound content.
Simply upload this video onto an editing software and you’re good to go. When I’ve edited YouTube videos in the past, I used the free version of iMovie on my phone. However, you can upload the content directly to YouTube’s video editor in your YouTube Studio and make basic edits from there.
Final Thoughts:
There you have it. A beginner guide to using Creative Commons videos for your YouTube channel to start making money. This is a great way to start making money without even having to show your face on YouTube.
The most important takeaways are:
• Ensure the video is creative commons (all are CC BY on YouTube)
• Make sure you give attribution (credit)
• You can definitely monetize this content
Good luck! If you have any further queries about Creative Commons, check out this article written by Creative Commons themselves detailing their frequently asked question.
Remember, if you’re interested in making money, check out these 10 interesting ways to earn an extra £2000 per month. You may also like these 21 easiest Fiverr gigs that require no skills.