Content licence
OpenRoots and Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Workable and common for data, but only if the layers are stated explicitly. An unlabelled mix is the failure mode.
Inbound
conditionalCC-BY-4.0 material entering an OpenRoots work
CC BY 4.0 requires attribution and permits any downstream licensing, so its material may enter an ORD-licensed dataset. What ORD cannot do is enlarge the CC BY grant: the underlying records stay CC BY, and a recipient who wants only those records is entitled to them on CC BY terms.
Outbound
conditionalOpenRoots material entering a CC-BY-4.0 project
Structure, curation and additions may be released under CC BY separately if the licensor chooses. The OpenRoots obligations cannot be carried into CC BY, so this is a re-release rather than a combination.
Mechanism
Where the pairing holds and where it breaks.
A matrix cell tells you the answer. These are the clauses that produce it.
Derivative works
One combined, distributable artifact.The layered case matters most for datasets. State clearly which layer is CC BY and which is ORD. The dataset card template has a table for exactly this.
Composite distribution
Both shipped side by side, not merged.Common and workable. A dataset whose records are CC BY and whose schema and validation are ORD is a legitimate and honest structure, provided both are disclosed.
Patent position
Express grants and termination triggers.CC licences do not grant patent rights and expressly reserve them.
The royalty
Where the Canopy obligation bites.The royalty cannot attach to the CC BY layer. It attaches only to the OpenRoots contribution, which for a dataset is usually the structure and the curation, not the underlying records.
Current permanent terms
What holds for as long as the release exists.No automatic conversion occurs. The CC BY layer remains CC BY and the OpenRoots layer remains OpenRoots.
Other pairs