[open-government] Open Government Licence launched today

Thu Sep 30 13:59:37 UTC 2010

Tim

Thanks for your reply.  One of the primary drivers for the creation of the OGL was the need to account for database rights, which are particular to the EU.  This was necessary to ensure both licensee and licensor had reassurance over the IP rights covered by the licence (and given that one of the big packages of information covered is data.gov.uk).  We looked into approaches using a combination of different licences to cover this need, but the conclusion was that it would be more simple and enabling to have a single set of terms and conditions.  We have also taken measures to mitigate the risks from introducing a new licence: making the OGL compatible with the CC-BY and ODC-BY  licences; and using the Creative Commons Rights Expression Language in developing a machine readable version of the OGL.  I hope that helps.

Regards

Matthew Pearce
Standards Adviser

The National Archives
5th Floor, Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ

T: 02033345261

From: open-government-bounces at lists.okfn.org [mailto:open-government-bounces at lists.okfn.org] On Behalf Of Tim McNamara
Sent: 30 September 2010 12:34
To: Pearce, Matthew
Cc: open-government at lists.okfn.org
Subject: Re: [open-government] Open Government Licence launched today

2010/9/30 Pearce, Matthew <Matthew.Pearce at nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk<mailto:Matthew.Pearce at nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk>>
Hello all

We're pleased to announce the launch of the Open Government Licence today.  The OGL provides rights to distribute, adapt and exploit licensed data.  The OGL will be the default licence for central government Crown copyright & database rights.  It is also being promoted for use within the wider public sector.  The OGL is compatible with the Creative Commons and Open Data Commons attribution licence models, and we appreciate the advice and assistance Creative Commons UK and Open Data Commons have given to the project.  The UK Government Licensing Framework sets the policy around where the OGL will apply.

This is great news. My only concern is with licence proliferation. My understanding is that New Zealand's Cabinet adopted the CC-BY (New Zealand) licence as its default licence for its Crown copyright material this year [1]. May I ask, why the UK government has needed to craft a new licence? Those reasons will be quite beneficial for me as I learn more about this area.

Kind regards,

Tim McNamara
Masters Candidate in Public Policy,
Victoria University of Wellington

[1] http://www.e.govt.nz/policy/nzgoal

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