{
  "question": "Can I use CC BY-NC assets in a paid game?",
  "slug": "can-i-use-cc-by-nc-assets-in-a-paid-game",
  "url": "https://www.rightshold.com/answers/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": [
    "List every third-party asset (art, sprites, music, sound effects, fonts, models, shaders) with its source page and license.",
    "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.",
    "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.",
    "For each NC asset: email the creator asking for a written commercial license that names your game and platforms, or replace the asset.",
    "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.",
    "Keep the credits screen accurate: CC BY assets need the title, author, source and license, and a note if you changed them.",
    "Store the license text, source URL and any written permission for each asset with the build that ships it."
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "What NonCommercial does and doesn't mean",
      "points": [
        "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."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "checks": [
    {
      "label": "CC BY-NC 4.0 art shipped in a game you sell, with credit",
      "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
      "license_name": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International",
      "intended_use": {
        "commercial_use": true,
        "redistribution": true,
        "attribution_planned": true
      },
      "verdict": "prohibited",
      "answer": "No",
      "findings": [
        "CC BY-NC 4.0 prohibits commercial_use."
      ],
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions"
      ],
      "official_text": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode"
    },
    {
      "label": "CC BY 4.0 art, edited, shipped in a game you sell, with credit",
      "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
      "license_name": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International",
      "intended_use": {
        "commercial_use": true,
        "redistribution": true,
        "modification": true,
        "attribution_planned": true
      },
      "verdict": "permitted",
      "answer": "Yes",
      "findings": [
        "Every use you described is granted by CC BY 4.0, and nothing you described is prohibited."
      ],
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions"
      ],
      "official_text": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode"
    },
    {
      "label": "CC0 art, edited, shipped in a game you sell",
      "license": "CC0-1.0",
      "license_name": "Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal",
      "intended_use": {
        "commercial_use": true,
        "redistribution": true,
        "modification": true
      },
      "verdict": "permitted",
      "answer": "Yes",
      "findings": [
        "Every use you described is granted by CC0, and nothing you described is prohibited."
      ],
      "duties": [],
      "official_text": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode"
    }
  ],
  "checks_note": "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": {
    "start": "https://www.rightshold.com/start?ref=answers",
    "mcp_endpoint": "https://www.rightshold.com/mcp",
    "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?",
    "mcp_call": {
      "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
        }
      }
    },
    "also": [
      "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."
    ],
    "scope": "Rightshold reads licenses and terms you point it at. It does not grant licenses or negotiate permissions with creators."
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 legal code",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode.en"
    },
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons: NonCommercial interpretation",
      "url": "https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/NonCommercial_interpretation"
    },
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons: Recommended practices for attribution",
      "url": "https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Recommended_practices_for_attribution"
    },
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons FAQ",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/faq/"
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    {
      "title": "Can I use CC BY-NC 4.0 commercially?",
      "url": "https://www.rightshold.com/answers/can-i-use-cc-by-nc-4-0-commercially"
    },
    {
      "title": "Can I use CC BY-NC content in a commercial product?",
      "url": "https://www.rightshold.com/answers/can-i-use-cc-by-nc-content-in-a-commercial-product"
    },
    {
      "title": "Is CC BY-NC OK for YouTube?",
      "url": "https://www.rightshold.com/answers/is-cc-by-nc-ok-for-youtube"
    }
  ],
  "computed_from": "Curated guidance; license verdicts computed from Rightshold's license profiles at render time. Not legal advice.",
  "updated": "2026-10-29"
}