Answers · game assets

Can I use CC BY-NC assets in a paid game?

Short answer: Not without the creator's permission. CC BY-NC (any version, including NC-SA and NC-ND) lets you use the work only for purposes not primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation, and selling a game is commercial use. Credit does not change that, and neither does using the asset in a small way. Your options: ask the creator for a separate commercial license (many will grant one, sometimes for a fee), swap in assets under CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0 or a paid commercial license, or make or commission your own. If you plan to sell the game later, sort this out before release, not after.

Checklist

1. List every third-party asset (art, sprites, music, sound effects, fonts, models, shaders) with its source page and license.
2. Flag anything with NC (NonCommercial) in its license: CC BY-NC, BY-NC-SA, BY-NC-ND, or a custom "free for non-commercial use" term.
3. Treat these as commercial: a game you sell, early access, paid DLC, a free game with ads or in-app purchases, crowdfunding rewards, and a game you make for a client.
4. For each NC asset: email the creator asking for a written commercial license that names your game and platforms, or replace the asset.
5. Good replacements: CC0 (no conditions), CC BY (credit required), CC BY-SA (credit, and adaptations of that asset carry the same license), or a store license that clearly allows commercial games.
6. Keep the credits screen accurate: CC BY assets need the title, author, source and license, and a note if you changed them.
7. Store the license text, source URL and any written permission for each asset with the build that ships it.

What NonCommercial does and doesn't mean

• NC restricts the purpose of the use, not who you are: a solo developer or a nonprofit selling a game is still making commercial use.
• A free game with no ads and no purchases is the clearest non-commercial case, but whether a particular free release counts can depend on the facts; Creative Commons publishes guidance on how it interprets the term.
• The NC license still lets you use the asset in a free, non-commercial build, so you can prototype with it and replace it before you charge for anything.

License checks (computed)

Yes means the license grants the use, on the duties listed. Duties such as source_disclosure, share_alike and network_source_offer are the ones that conflict with keeping a product closed-source.

Ask Rightshold (free, no key)

Add the MCP server https://www.rightshold.com/mcp to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Grok or VS Code, then ask: “My game's assets are under CC BY-NC 4.0, CC BY 4.0 and CC0. Which can ship in the paid release?”

One-click setup

{
  "tool": "check_rights_batch",
  "arguments": {
    "items": [
      {
        "ref": "enemy-sprites",
        "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0"
      },
      {
        "ref": "tileset",
        "license": "CC-BY-4.0"
      },
      {
        "ref": "sound-effects",
        "license": "CC0-1.0"
      }
    ],
    "intended_use": {
      "commercial_use": true,
      "redistribution": true,
      "attribution_planned": true
    }
  }
}

• attribution_string writes the credit line a CC BY asset asks for.
• Pass an asset's page as source_url (Wikimedia Commons, GitHub and other sources Rightshold reads) and it checks the license that page declares.

Rightshold reads licenses and terms you point it at. It does not grant licenses or negotiate permissions with creators.

Sources

• Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 legal code
• Creative Commons: NonCommercial interpretation
• Creative Commons: Recommended practices for attribution
• Creative Commons FAQ

Related

• Can I use CC BY-NC 4.0 commercially?
• Can I use CC BY-NC content in a commercial product?
• Is CC BY-NC OK for YouTube?

Not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-29. JSON · Markdown · All answers

curl -s -X POST https://www.rightshold.com/v1/accounts/signup -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"accept_terms":true}'
export RIGHTSHOLD_API_KEY=rs_...   # the api_key from the reply (shown once)
curl -s https://www.rightshold.com/v1/licenses/check -H "Authorization: Bearer $RIGHTSHOLD_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"license":"MIT","intended_use":{"commercial_use":true}}'