non-commercial
Without business motives
Non-commercial describes activities, works, or organizations not intended to generate profit.
A non-commercial use of copyrighted material—for education, criticism, or personal enjoyment—may qualify for legal protections that commercial uses don't receive.
Non-commercial radio stations operate without advertising revenue.
The license permits non-commercial use only.
Authority over a state
- municipalOf city government
- civicPertaining to community affairs
- public broadcastingGovernment or donor-funded media
- PBSNon-profit educational broadcaster
BBC · state-funded · community radio · public access · infrastructure · social welfare · public health · utilities
Complimentary computer programs
- sharewareTrial-based commercial software
- open-sourceFreely viewable, editable code
- creative commonsShared works anyone uses
- copyleftMandatory openness inheritance clause
public domain · free software · collaborative · wiki · peer-to-peer · decentralized · Linux · GitHub
Not yet compensated
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
- pro bonoFree professional services
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
service · grassroots · civic · community · helping · activism · mentor · outreach
Organization serving public good
- charityVoluntary aid for others
- foundationUnderlying support structure
- NGOIndependent charitable organization
- 501(c)(3)Nonprofit tax classification
tax-exempt · public benefit · social enterprise · not-for-profit · cooperative · mutual aid · trust · endowment
Recreational leisure activity
- amateurNonprofessional participant
- recreationalRelated to enjoyment activities
- informalRelaxed, not official
- casualRelaxed and informal
leisure · personal use · self-sufficiency · homemade · DIY · private · pastime · enthusiast
Relating to education or theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- scholarlyMarked by serious learning
- universityHigher education institution
- schoolPlace of instruction
library · museum · tuition-free · learning · teaching · pedagogy · scholarship · curriculum
government
Authority over a state
- municipalOf city government
- civicPertaining to community affairs
- public broadcastingGovernment or donor-funded media
PBS · BBC · state-funded · community radio · public access · infrastructure · social welfare · public health · utilities · transit
freeware
Complimentary computer programs
- sharewareTrial-based commercial software
- open-sourceFreely viewable, editable code
- creative commonsShared works anyone uses
copyleft · public domain · free software · collaborative · wiki · peer-to-peer · decentralized · Linux · GitHub · ad-free
unpaid
Not yet compensated
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
- pro bonoFree professional services
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
altruism · service · grassroots · civic · community · helping · activism · mentor · outreach · goodwill
nonprofit
Organization serving public good
- charityVoluntary aid for others
- foundationUnderlying support structure
- NGOIndependent charitable organization
501(c)(3) · tax-exempt · public benefit · social enterprise · not-for-profit · cooperative · mutual aid · trust · endowment · association
hobby
Recreational leisure activity
- amateurNonprofessional participant
- recreationalRelated to enjoyment activities
- informalRelaxed, not official
casual · leisure · personal use · self-sufficiency · homemade · DIY · private · pastime · enthusiast · craft
academic
Relating to education or theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- scholarlyMarked by serious learning
- universityHigher education institution
school · library · museum · tuition-free · learning · teaching · pedagogy · scholarship · curriculum · public education
- Open LicensingCreative Commons, public domain, copyleft, open source, free software
- copyleftcopyleft, GPL, share-alike, Creative Commons, libre
non-commercialcommercial
Paid broadcast promotion
for-profit · money-making · lucrative · entrepreneurial · mercantile
non-commercialcommercial
Paid broadcast promotion
retail · enterprise · corporate · commodified · industrial
non-commercialcommercial
Paid broadcast promotion
corporate · for-profit · private-sector · business · proprietary