What are ported and unported Creative Commons licences?
A ported Creative Commons license adapts the official terms to a single country's copyright law. An unported license is the generic, worldwide version. If you see a country code in the version label, like CC BY-NC 2.0 UK or CC BY-SA 3.0 Germany, you are looking at a port. Version 4.0 is the first suite designed from the start as an international, unported license. It operates without jurisdiction-specific adaptations.
What Ported And Unported Creative Commons Licenses Mean
The distinction matters only for versions before 4.0. For 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0, Creative Commons published two kinds: the generic unported license and a set of jurisdiction-specific ported licenses.
An unported license is the base text written by Creative Commons in its US office, using generic copyright-law language. A ported license takes that base text and adjusts the language, examples, and legal references to fit the copyright law of a specific country.
CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported is the generic version. CC BY-SA 3.0 Germany (Deutschland) is the ported version for German law. The porting process involved a local legal team translating the license, adapting definitions to match that country's copyright framework, and aligning warranty and disclaimer language with local consumer-protection rules. The result reads more naturally in that country's legal environment but contains the same four conditions: Attribution, ShareAlike, NonCommercial, NoDerivatives.
The Pre-4.0 Porting System And How To Identify A Port
How The Porting Process Worked
Before version 4.0, Creative Commons ran a formal porting process. A jurisdiction team, often law professors or copyright experts, drafted a port, submitted it for public comment, and Creative Commons approved it as an official port. More than 35 jurisdictions received one or more ported versions.
The ports were not translations of the unported text. They were legally distinct licenses that could differ in how they handled moral rights, the definition of adaptation, or the scope of the NonCommercial condition.
Spot A Port By Its Label
Check the version number. A ported license names a jurisdiction in the version label. Examples: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 UK, the French port of CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY 2.5 Australia. An unported license reads as "CC BY 3.0 Unported" or simply "CC BY 3.0" with no country code. The official deed page for a ported license states the jurisdiction, and the legal-code link includes the jurisdiction code in the URL path.
What Version 4.0 Changed About Porting
The 4.0 suite, released in 2013, was designed from the start as an international license. Creative Commons explicitly chose not to produce jurisdiction-specific ports for 4.0. The legal code is written to apply across all legal systems without local adaptation. The FAQ states that a 4.0 license "can be used without modification in any jurisdiction."
If you see a CC license today with version 4.0, it is always unported. There is no CC BY 4.0 Germany or CC BY-NC 4.0 Japan. The version number alone tells you the license is the generic, worldwide text. You do not need to research which port applies to your country. The 4.0 license is the single version you must read.
Jurisdiction-Sensitive Limits In Pre-4.0 Licenses
Ported Licenses Are Not Interchangeable
A work licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 UK may not be usable under the same terms in Germany if the German port has different definitions or conditions. The official license terms of a port are the legal code of that port, not the unported version. Read the specific legal code linked from the deed. Assuming all CC BY-SA 2.0 licenses are identical is a mistake that leads to non-compliance.
When A Port Crosses A Border
A ported license may contain clauses that are invalid or unenforceable in another country. A port designed for French law may reference the French intellectual property code. That reference has no legal force in Canada. When you encounter a pre-4.0 ported license, read the legal code of that port, not the generic unported version. Consult local legal advice if the use carries material commercial risk. For a 4.0 license, read the 4.0 legal code. It is identical worldwide.
Common Questions
Can I use a pre-4.0 ported license in a country other than the one it was designed for?
The license applies worldwide, but its jurisdiction-specific language may be unenforceable or misinterpreted outside that country. Read the legal code and, for material risk, get local legal advice.
How do I know if a CC license is ported or unported?
Look at the version label. If it names a jurisdiction, such as France in the French port of CC BY-SA 3.0, it is ported. If it says "Unported" or has no country code, it is unported. All 4.0 licenses are unported.
Are there any ported versions of the 4.0 licenses?
No. Creative Commons designed 4.0 as an international license and does not produce ported versions. Every 4.0 license is the same worldwide.
If a work is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported, can I use it as if it were CC BY-SA 3.0 Germany?
No. The unported version has different legal language. The two are separate licenses. You must comply with the terms of the license actually applied to the work.
What should I do if I find a ported license that seems to be missing from the Creative Commons website?
The license still applies. The licensor applied it at the time. If the deed page is not available, use the legal-code URL from the license notice. Creative Commons does not remove old ports, but some jurisdiction pages may be offline.