# Creative Commons Licenses

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creative-commons-licenses/362805
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 30, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creative-commons-licenses/362805 "2006-06-30T21:31:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creative-commons-licenses/362805/1 "2006-06-30T21:31:34Z")

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I am a graphic designer/web builder. I found some [icons](http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Icon_Gallery) I would like to use in a web app. But I can’t for the life of me figure out their [Creative Commons Share-Alike License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/).Which makes me feel really stupid, since I can’t even figure out the “plain English” version, let alone the Legalese version.

Specifically, I don’t understand the “Share-Alike” portion:

> [@](#):
>
> **Share Alike.** If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.

Now, does this mean that ANYTHING I make using these icons must have a Creative Commons License (i.e., I have to allow anyone to use my web app for free, assuming that they give proper attribution)? Or does it only mean that I can’t redistribute the icons themselves w/o adhering to such a license (i.e., I couldn’t copy them, post them on my site, and sell them for $125 a set)?