What does CC BY-ND 4.0 allow?
Share the work unchanged, for any purpose including commercial use, and provide credit. That is the core permission of CC BY-ND 4.0. The decisive restriction is NoDerivatives: you cannot share adapted material under this license. Before you do anything, check the license notice on the original source page. Record the creator, the exact CC BY-ND 4.0 deed URL and the date you accessed it. Then distribute the unchanged file with clear credit that matches the license requirements.
What CC BY-ND 4.0 Permits and What It Forbids
What You May Share
You may copy and redistribute the work in its exact form, even for money. The single requirement is attribution. The Creative Commons FAQ confirms this plainly: share without alteration, meet the credit obligation, and you are compliant.
What You Cannot Share
The license forbids distributing any version that qualifies as Adapted Material under the 4.0 legal code. Translation counts. Synchronising music with moving images counts. Any other modification requiring copyright permission counts. You are free to make an adaptation for private use. You just cannot distribute it under CC BY-ND 4.0.
To share a modified version, you need separate permission from the rights holder or you must rely on a copyright exception. Fair use and fair dealing vary by jurisdiction. No universal boundary exists. Always check the original source page for the exact license notice and any specific exclusions the licensor has stated.
Permissions And Conditions In A Scan-Friendly Table
The table below runs through the four standard Creative Commons elements as they apply to CC BY-ND 4.0. Each row tells you whether the action is allowed and under what rule.
| Action | Allowed Under CC BY-ND 4.0 | Condition / Exception |
|---|---|---|
| Share unchanged copy | Yes, including commercial use | Attribute as the BY element requires. Keep supplied notices, link to the license, and indicate any modifications made before you received the work. |
| Create an adaptation for private use | Yes | You may adapt for your own use but not share it under this license. The 4.0 legal code does not restrict private, non-public adaptations. |
| Share an adaptation publicly | No | The NoDerivatives element prohibits distributing Adapted Material. Translation, synchronising music with video, and editing that requires copyright permission create adaptations. Format-shifting alone does not. |
| Combine with other works in a collection | Depends on the combination | A collection keeping each work separate (essays in an anthology, for instance) is not an adaptation. Each work keeps its own license. If the combination creates an adaptation, sharing is not allowed under CC BY-ND 4.0. |
One Allowed Use And One Disallowed Use
An Allowed Use
Download a CC BY-ND 4.0 photograph. Keep the file exactly as you received it. Crop it to fit a magazine layout. Under the 4.0 definition, reproduction in a different format alone does not create Adapted Material, and cropping alone is not necessarily an adaptation. Publish it in your commercial brochure with the required credit: the creator's name, a copyright notice, the license name and a link to the original work. This is permitted.
A Disallowed Use
Take the same photograph. Add a text overlay and a logo. Publish that composite on your website. That composite is Adapted Material under the 4.0 legal code. Because NoDerivatives does not permit sharing adapted material, publishing the composite violates the license unless you have obtained separate permission.
The Single Thing That Most Often Goes Wrong With CC BY-ND 4.0
A common failure is assuming that cropping, excerpting or combining multiple CC-licensed works is a permitted format shift rather than an adaptation. The 4.0 definition explicitly says reproduction in a different format alone does not create Adapted Material. But whether cropping or excerpting rises to the level of an adaptation depends on applicable copyright law in your jurisdiction. Do not guess. If your planned use involves any modification beyond a simple format change, treat it as an adaptation. Either obtain separate permission or do not share it publicly. Share the work exactly as you received it, with the credit the original licensor supplied.
Common Questions
Can I use a CC BY-ND 4.0 work in a video I am editing for YouTube?
If adding the work to a video creates an adaptation, such as by synchronising it with moving images, that is expressly Adapted Material under the 4.0 definition. Sharing that video publicly under CC BY-ND 4.0 is not permitted. You could use the work in its unchanged form only, with credit, if the video itself is not an adaptation of the work.
If I translate a CC BY-ND 4.0 document, can I share the translation?
Translation is normally an adaptation under the 4.0 legal code. Sharing a translation publicly would violate the NoDerivatives restriction. You may translate the document for private use. You may not distribute the translation under this license.
Does the NoDerivatives condition apply to private, non-commercial use?
The Creative Commons FAQ confirms that making an adaptation for private use is not restricted by NoDerivatives. The prohibition applies only to sharing Adapted Material publicly. The license terms do not apply to uses authorised by copyright exceptions such as fair use or fair dealing.
Can I remove a watermark or metadata from a CC BY-ND 4.0 file?
Removing attribution information, including metadata, likely violates the credit requirement. Under the 4.0 legal code, you must keep supplied notices to the extent reasonably practicable. Deleting a watermark that functions as a copyright notice or credit is not permitted. If the watermark is part of the creative work itself, removing it may create an adaptation, which would also violate NoDerivatives.
What happens if I accidentally breach the NoDerivatives condition?
Under the 4.0 legal code, the license terminates automatically on breach. Rights are reinstated from the date you cure the violation, provided you cure it within 30 days after discovering the breach. The licensor may also expressly reinstate your rights. You may face liability for the period of violation. Older CC versions have different termination rules.