diff --git a/model/src/main/kotlin/LicenseFinding.kt b/model/src/main/kotlin/LicenseFinding.kt
index 66ed1167fee2c..98485e76a7201 100644
--- a/model/src/main/kotlin/LicenseFinding.kt
+++ b/model/src/main/kotlin/LicenseFinding.kt
@@ -19,11 +19,16 @@
 
 package com.here.ort.model
 
-import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonParser
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.DeserializationContext
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.deser.std.StdDeserializer
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.module.kotlin.treeToValue
 
 import com.here.ort.model.config.CopyrightGarbage
 import com.here.ort.utils.CopyrightStatementsProcessor
 import com.here.ort.utils.SortedSetComparator
+import com.here.ort.utils.textValueOrEmpty
 
 import java.util.SortedMap
 import java.util.SortedSet
@@ -51,7 +56,7 @@ fun LicenseFindingsMap.removeGarbage(copyrightGarbage: CopyrightGarbage) =
  * A class to store a [license] finding along with its belonging [copyrights]. To support deserializing older versions
  * of this class which did not include the copyrights a secondary constructor is only taking a [licenseName].
  */
-data class LicenseFinding @JsonCreator constructor(
+data class LicenseFinding(
         val license: String,
         val copyrights: SortedSet<String>
 ) : Comparable<LicenseFinding> {
@@ -59,12 +64,26 @@ data class LicenseFinding @JsonCreator constructor(
         private val COPYRIGHTS_COMPARATOR = SortedSetComparator<String>()
     }
 
-    @JsonCreator
-    constructor(licenseName: String) : this(licenseName, sortedSetOf())
-
     override fun compareTo(other: LicenseFinding) =
             when {
                 license != other.license -> license.compareTo(other.license)
                 else -> COPYRIGHTS_COMPARATOR.compare(copyrights, other.copyrights)
             }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Custom deserializer to support old versions of the [LicenseFinding] class.
+ */
+class LicenseFindingDeserializer : StdDeserializer<LicenseFinding>(LicenseFinding::class.java) {
+    override fun deserialize(p: JsonParser, ctxt: DeserializationContext): LicenseFinding {
+        val node = p.codec.readTree<JsonNode>(p)
+        return when {
+            node.isTextual -> LicenseFinding(node.textValueOrEmpty(), sortedSetOf())
+            else -> {
+                val license = jsonMapper.treeToValue<String>(node["license"])
+                val copyrights = jsonMapper.treeToValue<SortedSet<String>>(node["copyrights"])
+                return LicenseFinding(license, copyrights)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/model/src/main/kotlin/Mappers.kt b/model/src/main/kotlin/Mappers.kt
index 14cd55874a09d..a16e14ccac1d5 100644
--- a/model/src/main/kotlin/Mappers.kt
+++ b/model/src/main/kotlin/Mappers.kt
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import com.here.ort.model.config.AnalyzerConfigurationDeserializer
 
 private val ortModelModule = SimpleModule("OrtModelModule").apply {
     addDeserializer(AnalyzerConfiguration::class.java, AnalyzerConfigurationDeserializer())
+    addDeserializer(LicenseFinding::class.java, LicenseFindingDeserializer())
     addDeserializer(OrtIssue::class.java, OrtIssueDeserializer())
     addDeserializer(VcsInfo::class.java, VcsInfoDeserializer())
 
diff --git a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Askalono.kt b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Askalono.kt
index 490b387103cc6..90983c37a4d1b 100644
--- a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Askalono.kt
+++ b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Askalono.kt
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ class Askalono(config: ScannerConfiguration) : LocalScanner(config) {
     }
 
     override fun generateSummary(startTime: Instant, endTime: Instant, result: JsonNode): ScanSummary {
-        val findings = result.map { LicenseFinding(it["License"].textValue()) }.toSortedSet()
+        val findings = result.map { LicenseFinding(it["License"].textValue(), sortedSetOf()) }.toSortedSet()
         return ScanSummary(startTime, endTime, result.size(), findings, errors = mutableListOf())
     }
 }
diff --git a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/BoyterLc.kt b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/BoyterLc.kt
index c60b67e8e8c2c..3bd7c6c9cd669 100644
--- a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/BoyterLc.kt
+++ b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/BoyterLc.kt
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ class BoyterLc(config: ScannerConfiguration) : LocalScanner(config) {
 
         result.forEach { file ->
             file["LicenseGuesses"].mapTo(findings) { license ->
-                LicenseFinding(license["LicenseId"].textValue())
+                LicenseFinding(license["LicenseId"].textValue(), sortedSetOf())
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Licensee.kt b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Licensee.kt
index 4f2d6e51a17ac..3eb7ce501e913 100644
--- a/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Licensee.kt
+++ b/scanner/src/main/kotlin/scanners/Licensee.kt
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ class Licensee(config: ScannerConfiguration) : LocalScanner(config) {
         val matchedFiles = result["matched_files"]
 
         val findings = matchedFiles.map {
-            LicenseFinding(it["matched_license"].textValue())
+            LicenseFinding(it["matched_license"].textValue(), sortedSetOf())
         }.toSortedSet()
 
         return ScanSummary(startTime, endTime, matchedFiles.count(), findings, errors = mutableListOf())