List of free-content licences

This is a list of free-content licences not specifically intended for software. For information on software-related licences, see Comparison of free and open-source software licenses.

A variety of free-content licences exist, some of them tailored to a specific purpose. Also listed are open-hardware licences, which may be used on design documents of and custom-made software for open-source hardware.

List

For documents and text

• FreeBSD Documentation License
• GNU Free Documentation License, or GFDL
• GNU Simpler Free Documentation License, or GSFDL
• Open Content License, obsolete
• Open Publication License, obsolete

For any type of content

• Against DRM license
• Creative Commons licenses which are considered free:
  • Creative Commons Attribution, or CC BY
  • Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike, or CC BY-SA
  • Creative Commons Zero, or CC0^[1]
• Creative Archive Licence, discontinued licence of the BBC Archive
• Design Science License
• Free Art License
• Korean Open Access License
• MirOS Licence
• WTFPL

For fonts

• Apache License
• SIL Open Font License
• Ubuntu Font License
• See also: GPL font exception

For hardware

• CERN Open Hardware License
• Simputer General Public License
• TAPR Open Hardware License

For tabletop games

• Dominion Rules Licence
• Open Game License

Other content

• Open Audio License, for audio
• Open Database License, or ODbL, for databases

Using software licences for other content

Some free software licences, including the GNU General Public License (GPL) and European Union Public Licence (EUPL), can also be used to license content other than software. However, the FSF has recommended against using the GPL for educational works.^[2]

Notes

1. CC0 is technically not a licence, although it is often called one. The legal code of CC0 does contain a "Public License Fallback" clause, which will act as a free-content licence when a jurisdiction does not recognizes the 'waiving your rights' part for some reason. See also the CC0 FAQ.
2. Free Software Foundation. "FAQ about the GNU Licenses - Can I use the GPL for something other than software?". gnu.org.