If you look at the assets ... it seems all of it still is CC-BY licenced, even if you need a subscription to download them.
So free as in speech, not as in beer, I guess?
So free as in speech, not as in beer, I guess?
Freedom of speech refers to not having to fear retaliation for speaking. By that definition, Autodesk Maya is free as in speech, as in Autodesk doesn't get prosecuted for selling it (under all-rights-reserved license, EULA, and yearly subscription).
It is in the actual license of those assets - you gain access to their sources and you are allowed to share them under Creative Commons license. You could think of it as a next step beyond DRM-free.
Specifics can vary - CC licenses can range from indistinguishable from public domain, through you-can-modify-only-if-you-share to fairly restrictive share-don't-modify.
Some want you to credit the author, some don't. But - most importantly - there is nothing about preventing author to sell their work with that kind of license.
So the license makes it free as in free-speech - you can share it as much as you like, not as in free-beer - that you are entitled to receive the thing.