Licensing with Love
Learn about how we license co-created content
Purpose of Our Approach
The Center for a Loving Workplace aims to act with love toward contributors, creators, and authors of materials, as well as toward those seeking to use resources from the Center. Love is specifically manifested as respect and honor for ownership and contributions, as clarity for how content will be used, and as generosity for people seeking support for their workplaces.
To achieve this, the Center has a practice of attribution and two licensing options.
Attribution
At CLW, it’s our standard practice to track those who contribute to the development of a document, resource, or tool. These individuals are identified on the document as contributors to honor and appreciate what they’ve given. We ask through our licensing that this attribution be maintained anytime materials or their derivatives are used.
It is also a standard practice to clearly identify any resources as originating from the CLW. This helps build the reputation of the Center as a source of insight, and it helps people discover more about the Center’s work and opportunities for contribution and learning.
While the Center can’t guarantee this attribution will be maintained by everyone who uses a resource, the Center sets the loving expectation that contributions and origination should be honored.
How the Center Makes Attribution
Names of contributors and origination from the Center for a Loving Workplace are made on the first page, on a title page, on the final page, or in the footer of an acknowledgement slide, etc. The decision depends on the type of document, optimizing the material, and making these important elements clear but not cumbersome.
Licensing
The Center using a two-tier licensing strategy based on options outlined by the Creative Commons: 1) CLW Default License, and 2) CLW Restricted Use License. Other options may be added in the future as other needs and use cases arise.
How the CLW Licenses Materials
This section describes the two options, their use, and appropriate citations.
CLW Default License: CC Attribution-CommercialUse-DerivativesAllowed 4.0 International
This option aims to support the widespread and open use of these Center-owned and created materials. These are materials that the Center does not expect to monetize. An example of such an asset is: The Loving Workplace Principles.
This license has the following standards:
Attribution of the Center and of our co-creators is required by users.
Anyone can use the material commercially (i.e., a coach can use them with a leader, a consultant can use them with a team, an author could cite them in a book).
Any user can remix, adapt, and build on this work (i.e., a coach could add elements that they discover with a leader, a consultant could adapt language to fit a team’s values or culture, an asset could be reproduced in a book with refreshed graphics).
Any user is required to maintain the same level of CC license for derivative products or use.
Formal License Language
CC BY-SA 4.0 - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
This license requires that reusers give credit to the Center and contributors. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes. If others remix, adapt, or build upon the material, they must license the modified material under identical terms. BY Credit must be given to the creator. SA Adaptations must be shared under the same terms. See the License Deed.
Sample Licensing Texts for Use
Loving Workplace Principles © 2026 by Center for a Loving Workplace is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Loving Workplace Principles © 2026 by Center for a Loving Workplace is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visithttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
CLW Restricted License: CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
This license applies to any materials the Center desires to retain rights to for the CLW to commercialize their use to the benefit of the CLW. For example, CLW may license a particular curriculum that the CLW teaches in paid or sponsored workshops.
This license has the following standards:
Attribution is required.
Other individuals or entities cannot use the asset commercially. (i.e., consultants or trainers can only teach this content for the CLW)
Others cannot remix, adapt, and build on this work (i.e., consultants or trainers cannot change the content and use it as their own)
Formal License Language
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in an unadapted form and for noncommercial purposes only. BY Credite must be given to the Center. NC Only noncommercial use of the materials is permitted. Noncommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation. ND No derivatives or adaptations of materials are permitted. See the License Deed.
Sample Licensing Texts for Use
Principles for a Loving Workplace Workshop © 2026 by Center for a Loving Workplace is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Principles for a Loving Workplace Workshop © 2026 by Center for a Loving Workplace is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Have questions or want to contribute to a love-centered project?
Contact CEO Renee Smith at CEO@LovingWorkplace.org for more information.
