Direct comparison
Cc By Vs Cc0: Key Differences & Comparison | CASRAI
CC BY is an open licence requiring attribution; CC0 is a public-domain dedication that waives rights entirely. Both support FAIR reuse, but they impose very different obligations on people who reuse the work — which matters most for datasets.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | CC BY 4.0 | CC0 1.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Type of instrument | An open licence (rights retained, permission granted) | A public-domain dedication / waiver (rights given up) |
| Attribution required? | Yes — credit the creator and indicate changes | No legal requirement to attribute |
| Commercial reuse | Permitted | Permitted |
| Derivatives | Permitted | Permitted |
| Typical use | Open-access articles; data where credit is expected | Datasets, metadata, and database content for frictionless reuse |
| Effect on aggregation | Attribution stacking can be onerous when combining many sources | No attribution stacking — easiest to combine at scale |
| Norm vs obligation | Citation is a legal condition | Citation becomes a scholarly norm, not a legal condition |
| FAIR data fit | Supports the Reusable principle; clear licence aids reuse | Strongly supports Reusable — the least restrictive clear licence status |
| Recommended by | Many publishers and funders for articles | DataCite, many data repositories, and metadata providers for data |
Common questions
FAQ
Does CC0 mean I lose credit for my data?+
Not in practice. CC0 removes the legal requirement to attribute, but scholarly citation norms still apply — reusers are expected to cite the dataset. CC0 simply prevents attribution requirements from blocking large-scale aggregation.
Which licence do funders prefer for data?+
It varies. Many data repositories and infrastructures (and DataCite for metadata) favour CC0 to maximise interoperability and reuse, while some funders and communities prefer CC BY so that creators are formally credited. Check your repository's and funder's policy.
Are CC BY and CC0 compatible with FAIR?+
Yes. The FAIR principles call for data to carry a clear, accessible usage licence (the R1.1 sub-principle). Both CC BY and CC0 provide that clarity; CC0 is the least restrictive option, which is why metadata is often dedicated to the public domain.
Can I apply CC0 to a journal article?+
You can, but it is uncommon. Articles are usually published under CC BY so that authors are credited, whereas CC0 is more typically applied to data, metadata, and database content where frictionless reuse is the priority.
