DeviantART - Creative Commons question.?

Question

The Creative Commons license is just if you want to allow others to use your work with some rights reserved, correct? If you don't select a Creative Commons licensing choice on your literature/artwork/whatever, is it all rights are reserved to the creator and semi-"copyrighted," or is it no rights are reserved to the creator?

Answer 1

Nothing selected means no rights. Always go for full rights you never know when someone may find your work "desirable" for their own ends.

Answer 2

Creative Commons has different options, and depending on the options you choose, you can let people repost your work with credit (attribution) but not make derivative works, or you can allow derivative works, or other combinations.  In some way, shape, or form, you are giving up part of your rights to your work (it's supposed to be for the greater good of artistic freedom, or something like that).

The different options seem to be explained pretty well when you go to http://www.deviantart.com/submit/ and click on the "Choose License" button by the "Creative Commons" line.

If you select NOT to use a Creative Commons license (which you automatically do if you don't choose one when you submit a deviation), then you retain all rights to the artwork you have submitted (that means people are not allowed to use it under any circumstances except what is allowed by the Fair Use law and any specific permissions given by you).

Most people (on dA, at least) opt not to use a Creative Commons license because they don't want their work being redistributed or used without their permission (even if they are given credit).  Those who don't mind/encourage it opt for the different CC licenses (depending on what they want to allow).  This sort of license is especially appropriate for stock art and pixel art bases - things that are used by artists to make new works using art others have created.