Can I train an AI model on CC BY-NC 4.0 material?

Short answer: Training a model: Needs review. Training a model you use commercially: No.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-4.0): Share and adapt with credit, for non-commercial purposes only.

Training a model: Needs review

License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-4.0, curated)

• Creative Commons licenses grant rights to reproduce and adapt the material, with conditions that apply when it or an adaptation is shared. Whether training a model creates an adaptation, and how attribution applies to a trained model or its output, is not settled; Creative Commons notes that training may also fall under exceptions such as fair use. A human reviewer should confirm this use for your case.

Duties: attribution, license_notice, state_changes, no_additional_restrictions

Training a model you use commercially: No

License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-4.0, curated)

• CC BY-NC 4.0 prohibits commercial_use.

Duties: attribution, license_notice, state_changes, no_additional_restrictions

Context

• Whether a trained model is a copy or adaptation of its training data is legally unsettled; where the license does not settle it, Rightshold marks training for human review instead of guessing.
• The grant is non-sublicensable: every recipient receives the license directly from the licensor (section 2(a)(5)).
• You may not apply legal terms or technical measures that restrict recipients from exercising the licensed rights (section 2(a)(5)(C)).

Sources

• Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International: official text
• CC-BY-NC-4.0 on the SPDX License List

Check it yourself (free, no key)

{
  "tool": "check_license",
  "arguments": {
    "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
    "intended_use": {
      "model_training": true
    }
  }
}

Computed from Rightshold's license profiles; not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-19. JSON · Markdown