Are there any free content licenses that can be applied to characters, settings, etc? Can you use the CC licenses for those?
Creative Commons has pretty good info & resources that should have specific answers tailored to your needs... love them!! :~) https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/frequently_asked_questions
https://creativecommons.org/2020/03/18/the-unicode-standard-now-includes-cc-license-symbols/
https://creativecommons.org/2020/03/18/the-unicode-standard-now-includes-cc-license-symbols/
Follow
@PamelaDrew I've checked their FAQ. It didn't say anything about characters, settings, or entire franchises.
Try this to see if it will work for you... there are broader parameters you can assess the viability for specific cases https://www.csc.edu/media/website/content-assets/documents/pdf/library/How-to-build-a-Creative-Commons-License.pdf
@PamelaDrew That didn't help at all. It just talks about the types of CC licenses.
