{
  "question": "CC BY-NC 4.0 vs CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: what is the difference?",
  "slug": "cc-by-nc-4-0-vs-cc-by-nc-sa-4-0",
  "url": "https://www.rightshold.com/answers/cc-by-nc-4-0-vs-cc-by-nc-sa-4-0",
  "short_answer": "CC BY-NC 4.0: commercial use, modification, redistribution: No. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: the same uses: No.",
  "framing": "CC BY-NC 4.0: Share and adapt with credit, for non-commercial purposes only. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: Share and adapt with credit, for non-commercial purposes only; adaptations you share must carry the same license.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "label": "CC BY-NC 4.0: commercial use, modification, redistribution",
      "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
      "license_name": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International",
      "intended_use": {
        "commercial_use": true,
        "modification": true,
        "redistribution": true
      },
      "verdict": "prohibited",
      "answer": "No",
      "findings": [
        "CC BY-NC 4.0 prohibits commercial_use."
      ],
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions"
      ],
      "curation": "curated",
      "official_text": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode"
    },
    {
      "label": "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: the same uses",
      "license": "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0",
      "license_name": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International",
      "intended_use": {
        "commercial_use": true,
        "modification": true,
        "redistribution": true
      },
      "verdict": "prohibited",
      "answer": "No",
      "findings": [
        "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 prohibits commercial_use."
      ],
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions",
        "share_alike"
      ],
      "curation": "curated",
      "official_text": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode"
    }
  ],
  "compatibility": {
    "licenses": [
      "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
      "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0"
    ],
    "verdict": "needs_review"
  },
  "compare": [
    {
      "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions"
      ],
      "notes": [
        "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))."
      ]
    },
    {
      "license": "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0",
      "duties": [
        "attribution",
        "license_notice",
        "state_changes",
        "no_additional_restrictions",
        "share_alike"
      ],
      "notes": [
        "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))."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "context": [
    "The duties differ: compare the duties and notes listed for each license below."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International: official text",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode"
    },
    {
      "title": "CC-BY-NC-4.0 on the SPDX License List",
      "url": "https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-NC-4.0.html"
    },
    {
      "title": "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International: official text",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode"
    },
    {
      "title": "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 on the SPDX License List",
      "url": "https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0.html"
    }
  ],
  "check_it_yourself": {
    "mcp": {
      "tool": "check_license",
      "arguments": {
        "license": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
        "intended_use": {
          "commercial_use": true,
          "modification": true,
          "redistribution": true
        }
      }
    },
    "rest": "POST https://www.rightshold.com/v1/licenses/check"
  },
  "computed_from": "Rightshold license profiles at render time; not legal advice",
  "updated": "2026-10-19"
}