Most OERs are licensed by Creative Commons. which provides a set of statements that indicate the author's wishes regarding attribution and adaption. Specifically, CC covers these concepts.
- Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
- Reuse - the right to use the content in settings like classes, study groups, on websites, in videos, etc.
- Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
- Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
- Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)
(See OpenContent.org, UNESCO and OER Commons for the above definitions).