Icon Licenses Explained: MIT, Apache-2.0, CC BY and CC0

Free icons are not all free in the same way. Learn what MIT, ISC, Apache-2.0, CC0 and CC BY require before you ship an icon in a product.

Every icon library publishes its files under a license, and the license decides what you must do when you use them. On SVG Nexus the license of each library is shown on the icon page and listed on the licenses page, so check it before you copy or download.

MIT and ISC

Both allow commercial use, modification and redistribution. The condition is that the copyright and license notice stay with the code or files you redistribute, for example in a third-party notices file.

Apache-2.0

Also allows commercial use. It asks you to keep the license text and notices, and to state significant changes you made. It additionally grants a patent license from the contributors.

CC0

CC0 dedicates the work to the public domain as far as the law allows, so no attribution is required. Giving credit anyway is a courtesy, not an obligation.

CC BY and CC BY-SA

CC BY allows commercial use if you give credit, link to the license and indicate changes. CC BY-SA adds share-alike: adaptations must be shared under the same license, so check it before you put a modified icon in a closed product.

Brand logos and trademarks

A logo file can be free to download and still be a trademark. The license of the artwork does not give you rights to the brand, so use logos only to refer to the company they represent and follow the owner's brand guidelines.

A practical checklist

Record the library name and license for every icon you ship, keep the notice text where the license requires it, and ask the author when a license is unclear. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

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