[Open-Legislation] Reply to: API for EU legislation

[Niels Erik Kaaber Rasmussen]

 Dear Francis

 Thanks for your answer. We have now added the following terms to the 
 API-page under documentation (http://api.epdb.eu#doc):

 "Terms
 From our side we don't impose any restrictions on your use of the API. 
 You can mash up with other data set and pass that on to others. You can 
 sub-license derived works and in general do whatever you want to with 
 the API. We don't require you to attribute us, but will be very happy if 
 you do so. However you should be aware that the data itself is taken 
 from the mentioned databases and that the owners of these databases 
 might impose their terms of use, that we cannot be responsible for. You 
 are responsible yourself to comply with any such third party terms.

 For the content that is ours (ie. does not belong to EUR-Lex, PreLex or 
 any other official source) - the API for European Union legislation is 
 made available under the Open Database License: 
 http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/. Any rights in individual 
 contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents 
 License: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/dbcl/1.0/"

 Do you think that this statement on terms and conditions is satisfying 
 or is further steps required to make the API "really open"?

 Best, Niels Erik
-- 
 http://buhlrasmussen.eu
 (+45) 2680 9492


 On Thu, 26 May 2011 11:47:00 +0100, Francis Davey wrote:
> 2011/5/26 Niels Erik Kaaber Rasmussen <niels at buhlrasmussen.eu>:
>> Dear 'Open-Legislation'
>>
>> I found your thread on our EU API here (dated May 6) and would be 
>> glad to
>> know which kind of terms and conditions you'd like to see present at 
>> the
>> API. The data is not ours it is taken from different official 
>> sources, so we
>> can't really license it - what we can do is to provide a free an 
>> open
>> interface for others to use it.
>>
>> In regards to itsyourparliament - the data we have there has been 
>> public
>> nearly since the opening of the site in the beginning of 2010, see
>> http://www.itsyourparliament.eu/api/
>>
>> Stefan Marsiske states that "...there is unclear licensing, and it's 
>> not
>> really open." - we are sorry for the unclear licensing, how can we 
>> fix that?
>> And what can we do to make it really open?
>>
>
> Ideally, release it under a well recognised open licence. That is
> easier said than done of course because creative commons doesn't
> properly handle database rights and (for some people) the ODbL is too
> complex.
>
> You may find the ODbL is appropriate and meets your attribution
> requirements. I'd give it a careful read:
>
> http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/
>
> In practical terms its not clear from your website what I am allowed
> to do with your data. In particular, can I mash it up with other data
> and pass that on to others (say via my own API)? In legal terms, may 
> I
> sub-license derived works? On the main page you talk about "linking
> back" but even in these days people sometimes produce work that is 
> not
> made available via a webpage (or not solely) so what then? Presumably
> you want attribution one way or another.
>
> This isn't meant to be a criticism of mine, I'm just suggesting
> reasons why someone might want more clarity in licensing.