Following two years of development, the Creative Commons organisation has released new licences that are more user-friendly and more internationally robust than ever before. Version 4.0 licences have now been launched with changes that "make sharing and reusing CC-licensed materials easier and more dependable than ever before".
Along with the new licences there is updated guidance available that clarifies some uncertainties. The main changes are listed in What's new in 4.0, and the FAQ have been expanded to reference the new licences. Areas such as attribution are explained in detail: as well as confirming that all CC licences require users to acknowledge the creator of licensed material, there is clarification about modifying work:
"You must also indicate if you have modified the work—for example, if you have taken an excerpt, or cropped a photo. (For versions prior to 4.0, this is only required if you have created an adaptation by contributing your own creative material, but it is recommended even when not required.) It is not necessary to note trivial alterations, such as correcting a typo or changing a font size. Finally, you must retain an indication of previous modifications to the work."The licences themselves have been re-organised with language which is easier to understand across the world, and they now include Sui generis database rights which are recognised in the European Union. The 'human-readable' licence deeds have links to definitions and further guidance, for example what is 'appropriate credit'
Creative Commons 4.0 licences are available now at http://creativecommons.org/choose/
Background to Creative Commons 4.0 development: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Version_4
