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

**Short answer:** Training a model: Needs review. Training a model you use commercially: Needs review.

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA-4.0): Share and adapt for any purpose, including commercially, with credit; adaptations you share must carry the same or a compatible license.

## Training a model — Needs review

License: [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) (`CC-BY-SA-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, share_alike
## Training a model you use commercially — Needs review

License: [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) (`CC-BY-SA-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, share_alike

## 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-ShareAlike 4.0 International: official text](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
- [CC-BY-SA-4.0 on the SPDX License List](https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-SA-4.0.html)

## Check it yourself (free, no key)
```json
{
  "tool": "check_license",
  "arguments": {
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "intended_use": {
      "model_training": true
    }
  }
}
```
REST: POST https://www.rightshold.com/v1/licenses/check

_Computed from Rightshold's license profiles; not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-19. JSON: https://www.rightshold.com/answers/can-i-train-ai-on-cc-by-sa-4-0.json_