Our Commitment to Open Educational Resources
The Open Economics Project (“OEP,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an educational and social impact initiative dedicated to making economics education more accessible, equitable, and widely available.
We believe that educational knowledge should be shared, improved, translated, and distributed rather than unnecessarily restricted.
Through our digital learning platform, open educational publications, original lessons, practice questions, assessments, and community partnerships, we aim to build a growing collection of educational resources that can benefit learners and educators around the world.
Our approach to open licensing is intended to support teachers, students, translators, libraries, nonprofit organizations, community educators, and other contributors who wish to expand access to economics education.
This Content Licensing Policy explains the permissions, conditions, and responsibilities associated with using, adapting, distributing, and contributing to OEP's educational materials.
1. Our Open Licensing Framework
OEP adopts the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) as the standard license for original educational materials that OEP owns or is authorized to license.
This includes OEP-owned educational content such as:
- Economics textbooks and educational publications.
- Original lessons, explanations, and instructional materials.
- Practice questions and question banks.
- Educational assessments and related instructional content.
- Learning guides, worksheets, and supplementary educational resources.
- Original educational diagrams, charts, and illustrations, where OEP holds the necessary rights.
Unless a resource is expressly identified as subject to different terms, OEP-owned educational materials published for public educational use are made available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This default does not extend to third-party content, personal information, participant submissions, software, trademarks, or other materials excluded under this Policy.
The full license is available at:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Where an individual resource includes a separate licensing notice, that notice governs the resource to which it applies.
2. What You May Do With OEP Materials
Under CC BY-SA 4.0, users may exercise the rights granted by the license, including the following activities.
2.1. Access and Share
You may access, download, copy, and share covered educational materials in digital or physical formats.
This includes sharing resources with students, colleagues, educational institutions, and community organizations.
2.2. Print and Distribute
You may print and distribute covered textbooks, worksheets, assessments, and other educational resources.
This includes distributing printed materials through schools, libraries, NGOs, community centers, and educational outreach programs.
Distribution may be free or commercial, subject to the applicable license conditions.
2.3. Translate and Adapt
You may translate, modify, reorganize, abridge, expand, or otherwise adapt covered educational materials.
Examples include:
- Translating an economics textbook into another language.
- Adapting lessons for a different educational curriculum.
- Modifying explanations for a younger audience.
- Creating accessible versions of educational resources.
- Combining OEP material with other appropriately licensed educational content.
- Updating examples, datasets, or case studies.
Adaptations must comply with the attribution and ShareAlike requirements described below.
2.4. Use in Educational and Commercial Settings
Covered resources may be used in schools, universities, tutoring programs, nonprofit initiatives, and commercial educational activities.
This includes use by paid tutors, commercial educational organizations, and publishers, subject to the applicable license.
However, permission to reuse educational content does not grant permission to use OEP's trademarks, claim official endorsement, or represent an independently produced publication as an official OEP edition.
3. Attribution Requirements
Users who share or adapt covered OEP materials must provide attribution in accordance with CC BY-SA 4.0.
Unless a resource specifies otherwise, attribution should identify:
- The Open Economics Project as the source or designated attribution party.
- The title of the resource, where provided.
- A link or reference to the original material, where reasonably practicable.
- The applicable CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
- An indication of modifications, translations, or other changes made.
Where a resource identifies individual authors or contributors as required attribution parties, those credits must also be preserved.
Attribution may be provided in any reasonable manner suited to the medium and circumstances of distribution, consistent with the license.
3.1. Attribution Example: Unmodified Resource
Source: The Open Economics Project, “[Resource Title],” https://openecon.org. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
3.2. Attribution Example: Adapted Resource
Adapted from “[Resource Title]” by The Open Economics Project, https://openecon.org. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified and expanded for classroom use by [Adapter Name].
3.3. Attribution Example: Translation
Translated from “[Original Title]” by The Open Economics Project, https://openecon.org. Original licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Translation by [Translator Name], [Year]. This translation is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
These examples are illustrative. Users must also retain any additional notices or attribution information required by the applicable license.
Attribution does not imply that OEP has reviewed, approved, sponsored, or endorsed a particular adaptation or distribution.
4. ShareAlike Requirements
CC BY-SA 4.0 includes a ShareAlike requirement.
When you create and share an adaptation of covered OEP material, you must license your contributions to that adaptation under CC BY-SA 4.0 or another license permitted by the Creative Commons compatibility rules.
This helps ensure that adaptations of openly licensed educational materials remain available for further sharing and improvement.
For example, if an educator translates an OEP textbook and distributes the translation, the adapted material must be shared under an appropriate ShareAlike-compatible license.
Users must not impose additional legal restrictions or technological measures that prevent recipients from exercising the rights granted by the applicable license.
The ShareAlike requirement applies to adaptations as defined by the license. It does not automatically require every independent work distributed alongside an OEP resource to adopt the same license.
5. Commercial Reuse and Publishing
OEP supports the responsible reuse of its educational materials, including by paid tutors, educational service providers, and commercial organizations.
Under CC BY-SA 4.0, commercial reuse is permitted when the license conditions are satisfied.
This may include incorporating covered material into paid educational services, selling printed copies, or publishing adapted educational resources.
However, commercial reuse does not grant additional rights beyond those provided by the license.
In particular:
- Commercial users must satisfy the applicable attribution and licensing requirements.
- Adaptations must comply with the ShareAlike provisions.
- Users must not falsely imply that OEP endorses their products or services.
- OEP's trademarks, logos, and official branding are not licensed for unrestricted commercial use.
- Independent publishers may not describe their publications as officially issued, approved, or sponsored by OEP without authorization.
Organizations seeking an official publishing partnership, co-branded edition, or other formal collaboration should contact licensing@openecon.org.
OEP may establish separate agreements for official publishing arrangements, institutional partnerships, or services not covered by the Creative Commons license.
Such agreements do not restrict rights already granted to the public under CC BY-SA 4.0.
6. Textbooks, Libraries, and Physical Distribution
OEP develops and distributes educational publications as part of its mission to expand access to economics education.
Where a textbook or publication is covered by CC BY-SA 4.0, schools, libraries, NGOs, educators, and other organizations may print, reproduce, and distribute it in accordance with the license.
This includes:
- Printing books for classroom use.
- Distributing textbooks through school and community libraries.
- Providing educational materials through nonprofit outreach initiatives.
- Producing translated or adapted editions.
- Distributing printed resources in underserved communities.
- Recovering printing and distribution costs or selling copies where permitted by the license.
OEP encourages organizations distributing its educational materials to preserve attribution and licensing notices, identify any modifications, and maintain the accuracy and educational integrity of the resources.
Where OEP provides physical books through a particular partnership, separate agreements may govern funding, delivery, reporting, or institutional responsibilities.
These arrangements do not override the public license attached to the educational content.
7. Translations and Adaptations
OEP encourages translations and adaptations that make economics education accessible to additional audiences.
Users may translate or adapt covered materials without obtaining separate permission, provided they comply with the applicable license.
When publishing an adaptation, users should:
- Clearly identify the original source.
- Credit OEP and any other required attribution parties.
- Indicate that the material has been translated, adapted, or modified.
- Provide the applicable license information.
- Avoid implying that OEP has verified or endorsed the adapted content.
OEP is not responsible for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, or changes introduced by independent translators or adapters.
An independently produced adaptation must not be represented as an official OEP edition unless OEP has authorized that designation.
OEP welcomes notifications of translations and adaptations so that we may learn about their use and, where appropriate, help others discover them.
Notification is encouraged but is not a condition of exercising rights under CC BY-SA 4.0.
8. Third-Party Materials and Exclusions
Not all materials appearing on OEP's website or in its educational publications are necessarily owned by OEP.
Certain resources may contain third-party materials, including:
- Excerpts from external publications.
- Third-party photographs and illustrations.
- Externally sourced graphs or datasets.
- Examination-board materials.
- Content supplied by partner organizations.
- Materials reproduced under permission, exceptions, or separate licenses.
Unless expressly indicated otherwise, such materials are not included in OEP's CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing grant.
Third-party content remains subject to its original copyright, licensing conditions, or other applicable legal restrictions.
OEP will seek to identify third-party materials and their applicable rights where reasonably practicable.
Users are responsible for determining whether they have the necessary permissions to reuse third-party content.
The presence of material within an OEP publication does not automatically mean that OEP can authorize its unrestricted redistribution or adaptation.
Where a resource includes third-party material that cannot be redistributed under the same license, the applicable restrictions should be clearly identified.
9. Contributors, Authors, and Volunteers
OEP's educational resources may be developed by staff, volunteers, ambassadors, educators, external authors, and other contributors.
Contributors generally retain their copyright unless they have entered into an agreement providing otherwise.
Before incorporating contributed work into openly licensed OEP materials, OEP will obtain appropriate authorization through a written contributor agreement or another legally sufficient arrangement.
Such authorization may permit OEP to reproduce, edit, adapt, translate, distribute, and release the contribution under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Contributors must ensure that they have the necessary rights to submit their work and authorize its intended use.
Contributors must not knowingly submit infringing material or falsely claim ownership of third-party work.
Where individual attribution is required by a contributor agreement or the applicable license, OEP will preserve that attribution.
OEP may establish additional editorial, quality-control, and contributor guidelines for particular publications or educational projects.
10. Student Work and Competition Submissions
Student essays, competition entries, written responses, and other original participant submissions are not automatically licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Participants retain the copyright and other rights they hold in their original work.
Submitting an essay or educational response to OEP does not, by itself, authorize unrestricted public redistribution or commercial reuse.
OEP may process submissions as reasonably necessary to provide educational feedback, evaluate competition entries, or administer the relevant program, subject to its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Public publication, inclusion in openly licensed educational resources, or broader reuse requires appropriate authorization under the relevant program terms or a separate agreement.
Where participants are minors, additional parental or guardian authorization may be required.
OEP's commitment to open education does not eliminate participants' rights to their own work or personal information.
11. AI-Assisted Educational Content
OEP may use AI-assisted tools in the development, review, or improvement of educational resources.
Where AI-assisted material is incorporated into an OEP publication, OEP intends to apply appropriate human editorial review and assess whether it possesses the rights necessary to distribute the resulting material under the designated license.
AI-generated material may raise questions concerning originality, copyright protection, and third-party rights.
OEP does not claim exclusive copyright ownership over material that is not legally eligible for such protection.
Where human-authored contributions and other protectable elements are incorporated into AI-assisted resources, OEP may license the rights it owns or is authorized to license.
The use of AI in preparing educational content does not remove the need for accuracy checks, attribution where required, or appropriate rights clearance.
12. OEP Name, Logo, and Branding
The Open Economics Project's name, logos, identifying marks, and official branding are not automatically licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Users may identify OEP as the source of licensed educational materials and provide attribution as required by the applicable license.
However, users must not use OEP's name, logo, or branding in a manner that falsely suggests official affiliation, sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.
Use of OEP branding for co-branded publications, promotional materials, institutional campaigns, or commercial products may require separate written authorization.
For branding inquiries, contact licensing@openecon.org.
Nothing in this section prevents accurate attribution or other uses permitted by applicable law.
13. Website Software and Source Code
This Content Licensing Policy applies to educational content, not automatically to OEP's website software or underlying source code.
Software, application code, technical infrastructure, and related components may be governed by separate licenses or agreements.
Where OEP releases software under an open-source license, the applicable license will be identified with that software.
The Creative Commons license governing educational content does not automatically grant rights to reproduce or redistribute proprietary website code.
14. Editions, Updates, and Corrections
OEP may revise educational materials to correct errors, improve explanations, incorporate new information, or align resources with changing educational needs.
Where reasonably practicable, published resources should identify:
- The title of the publication or resource.
- The edition or version number.
- The publication or revision date.
- The applicable license.
- Relevant authorship or attribution information.
- Significant corrections or revisions, where appropriate.
OEP may maintain correction notices, revision histories, or updated editions to support transparency and educational accuracy.
A valid Creative Commons license generally cannot be revoked for recipients who continue to comply with its terms.
Accordingly, releasing a revised edition does not automatically terminate the rights previously granted under an earlier validly licensed edition.
OEP may discontinue distribution of an older edition or publish corrections, but users may retain rights to use previously licensed material under its applicable license.
15. Accessibility and Open Educational Formats
OEP recognizes that openly licensed educational materials can support accessibility by allowing resources to be adapted into formats that meet different learning needs.
Subject to applicable licensing requirements, users may create accessible adaptations of covered materials, including:
- Screen-reader-friendly documents.
- Alternative text descriptions.
- Reformatted or simplified educational materials.
- Large-print editions.
- Accessible digital publications.
- Translations and other adaptations.
OEP encourages accessible redistribution and the preservation of accurate educational content.
For accessibility inquiries, contact accessibility@openecon.org.
16. Permissions Beyond the Public License
Some uses may fall outside the rights granted by CC BY-SA 4.0 or involve materials that are not openly licensed.
Examples include:
- Use of restricted third-party content.
- Official co-branded publications.
- Use of OEP trademarks or logos beyond permitted attribution.
- Publication of student work without an existing authorization.
- Access to unpublished materials.
- Licensing arrangements requiring additional rights.
Individuals or organizations seeking such permissions may contact OEP.
OEP may grant additional permissions where it has the legal authority to do so.
Any such permission should be documented in writing.
17. Reporting Copyright Concerns
OEP respects the intellectual property rights of authors, educators, publishers, contributors, and other rights holders.
If you believe material published by OEP infringes your rights or has been incorrectly licensed, please contact:
licensing@openecon.org
Where possible, include:
- Identification of the material involved.
- A link or reference to its location.
- A description of the rights or permissions at issue.
- Relevant ownership or licensing information.
- Contact information for follow-up.
OEP will review credible concerns and take appropriate action, which may include correcting attribution, clarifying licensing information, removing material, or seeking additional permissions.
Formal copyright notices may be subject to additional legal requirements and procedures.
18. Relationship to Other OEP Policies
This Content Licensing Policy should be read alongside OEP's other relevant policies, including:
- Terms of Use
- Privacy Policy
- Accessibility Statement
- Safeguarding Policy
Where a particular resource carries a valid, expressly identified license, that license governs the rights granted in that resource.
Nothing in OEP's general website policies is intended to revoke or impose additional restrictions on rights already granted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
19. Changes to This Policy
OEP may update this Content Licensing Policy to reflect changes in its educational resources, publication practices, organizational activities, or legal obligations.
The latest version will be published at:
https://openecon.org/licensing
Changes to this Policy do not retroactively revoke rights already granted under valid Creative Commons licenses.
Where future resources are released under different licenses, the applicable licensing terms will be identified.
20. Contact Information
For licensing questions, reuse permissions, attribution concerns, publication partnerships, or copyright inquiries, contact:
The Open Economics Project Atlanta, Georgia, United States Website: https://openecon.org Email: licensing@openecon.org
For general organizational inquiries:
contact@openecon.org
Our Commitment
The Open Economics Project believes that educational knowledge becomes more valuable when it can be shared, improved, translated, and made accessible to more people.
By openly licensing our original educational resources, we aim to empower educators, learners, institutions, and communities to build upon our work and expand access to economics education.
Our goal is not simply to make educational materials free to access, but to make knowledge a resource that others can responsibly use, improve, and share.