[od-discuss] ISO Codes

Tue Nov 18 09:23:58 UTC 2014

I always think this has been unclear, see e.g.:

http://data.okfn.org/data/core/country-list#readme

Which has:

<quote>

Nevertheless, it should be noted that this material is ultimately sourced
from ISO and their rights and licensing policy is somewhat unclear. As this
is a short, simple database of facts there is a strong argument that no
rights can subsist in this collection. However, ISO state on their site
<http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/country_codes.htm>:

ISO makes the list of alpha-2 country codes available for internal use and
non-commercial purposes free of charge.

This carries the implication (though not spelled out) that other uses are
not permitted and that, therefore, there may be rights preventing further
general use and reuse.

</quote>

Rufus

On 17 November 2014 21:16, Michael Roberts <
michael.roberts at webfoundation.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Daniel Dietrich recommend I post this question here.
>
> For those designing standards or using ISO codes ( things like ISO Country
> codes ) are we violating copyright and/or the spirit of things like the
> Open Definition?  The reason I ask is on the ISO website it has a PDF that
> says the following:
>
> http://www.iso.org/iso/copyright_information_brochure.pdf
>>
> "Whether intentionally or unknowingly, a significant number of standards
> users are breaking copyright
> laws by reproducing and/or redistributing standards. Contributing to the
> violation of
> copyright results in lost revenue for the organizations developing and
> distributing
> standards, which not only include ISO and IEC but also their respective
> members and authorized
> distributors. It also jeopardizes the standards themselves by putting them
> at risk of tampering
> and/or inadvertent modifications.
>
> ISO and IEC introduced online sales several years ago in response to
> client demand for fast
> and convenient access to standards. Unfortunately, ease of access has made
> illegal
> photocopying easier and Internet distribution has also increased the
> potential for standards to be
> obtained or distributed illegally.
>
> ISO and IEC International Standards are sold in order to help fund the
> very process that leads to
> their development. “
>
> Are we violating copyright by using them in the creation of standards like
> IATI - which reference country code lists in the XML, not to mention are
> posted on the IATI website. It seems like everyone is using them and
> republishing them but should we?
>
> Cheers,
> Michael
> ---
> Michael Roberts
> Open Data Technical Manager
> +1 514 802 9528
> @michaeloroberts | michaelr at webfoundation.org
> World Wide Web Foundation | 1110 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington DC,
> 20005, USA | www.webfoundation.org | Twitter: @webfoundation
>
>
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-- 

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