My CC BY 4.0
The standard license you are looking for is CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International).
While CC0 waives all rights—meaning anyone can reuse, remix, or monetize your slides without mentioning your name—CC BY gives others maximum freedom to share and adapt your work on one condition: they must give you proper credit.
CC BY 4.0 vs. The Alternatives
If CC BY is close but not quite right, here is how the primary Creative Commons licenses compare:
| License | Attribution Required? | Commercial Use? | Adaptations / Remixing? | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC BY 4.0 (Recommended) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maximum reuse and spread, credit guaranteed. |
| CC BY-SA 4.0 (ShareAlike) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Copyleft) | If they remix your slides, their new deck must also be CC BY-SA. |
| CC BY-NC 4.0 (NonCommercial) | Yes | No | Yes | Prevents commercial consultancies or paid events from using your deck for profit. |
For most speakers, thinkers, and educators who want ideas to spread unhindered while keeping their name attached, CC BY 4.0 hits the sweet spot.
How to Write Your CC BY 4.0 Footer
1. Compact Slide Master Footer (Bottom corner of slides)
CC BY 4.0 • Jerry Michalski
(Link:
[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))
2. Title Slide or Colophon / Closing Slide Notice
License & Reuse
This presentation by Jerry Michalski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
You are free to share and adapt this material for any purpose, provided you give appropriate credit.
Details:
[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
3. If You Have Third-Party Slides, Quotes, or Images
Except where otherwise noted, this work by Jerry Michalski is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Third-party images, diagrams, and trademarks remain the property of their respective creators and may require separate permission.
Verification Checklist for Your Deck
- Verify your links: Ensure the CC license URL in your digital PDF/deck points to
[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). - Flag third-party visuals: Add a discrete credit (e.g., Source / Image: [Creator], used under Fair Use / CC BY-SA) under any graphic you didn't produce yourself.
- Specify preferred citation format: If you want people to link back to a specific website or project alongside your name, add a brief line:
“Preferred attribution: Jerry Michalski (jerrymichalski.com).”