Open Community

Degrees of Open

Open access. Open education resources. Open licenses. What's the difference?

Open is a continuum, from the most restrictive limits to the least restrictive limits on a user's rights. This guide serves as a hub, directing you to the different degrees. We start with copyright law because it lays out the respective rights of the creator and the user, which are then modified for the different degrees of open. The basic rights don't change. What changes is their distribution between the creator and the user.

Four doors, one bricked over, one with card access, one pair with one open, one closed, and a fourth with multiple doors open.