Yes — but the combined work must be released under the more restrictive license.
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal code can be combined with GNU Affero GPL v3.0 code without conflict. The combined work, when distributed, must be licensed under GNU Affero GPL v3.0. The original Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal files keep their notice, but the project as a whole is governed by the stronger copyleft.
| License | Family | Patent grant |
|---|---|---|
| Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0) | permissive | No (implicit at most) |
| GNU Affero GPL v3.0 (AGPL-3.0) | network-copyleft | Yes |
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal: Public-domain dedication; primarily for content but seen on some code.
GNU Affero GPL v3.0: GPLv3 plus § 13: providing software over a network triggers the source-disclosure obligation.
If you found this page because you're trying to figure out whether shipping a particular dependency is safe, the answer above is a starting point — not a substitute for reading the actual licenses or talking to a lawyer when stakes are high.
LicenseHound walks every transitive dependency in your repo, maps each to its SPDX license, and flags pairs like this one in PR comments. The CLI is free; the team dashboard is paid.