New licensing model for re-use of government information

22 Jan 2010 09:59 AM

The Government has taken a major step in offering a new licence model to re-use government data, working with the Creative Commons teams in the UK to replace the existing Click-Use Licence.

Adopting a non-transactional Creative Commons approach to licensing the re-use of government information was promised in Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government. It is key to supporting new information initiatives, such as the beta release of data.gov.uk, also launched today, to promote transparency, public service improvement and economic growth.

The National Archives, which oversees the re-use of government information, has put together a simple and enabling set of terms and conditions for the site. This means that the data available through data.gov.uk will be re-usable both commercially and non-commercially. These terms and conditions have been aligned so that they are interoperable with any Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence. The terms and conditions are also machine readable meaning that applications and programs can access and understand the terms and conditions.

Commenting on this licensing development, Carol Tullo, Director of Information Policy and Services at The National Archives said, "This represents an important step in making more government information available for re-use, in a streamlined and non-bureaucratic way."

To learn more about developments of the licensing model, go to http://perspectives.opsi.gov.uk/


For further information please contact Séverine Gould-Chanroux at The National Archives on 020 8392 5277 (severine.gould-chanroux@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk)

Notes for editors

The National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, is a government department and also an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. The National Archives brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. See also www.opsi.gov.uk 

The National Archives is at the heart of information policy – setting standards and supporting innovation in information and records management across the UK, and providing a practical framework of best practice for opening up and encouraging the re-use of public sector information. This work helps inform today’s decisions and ensure that they become tomorrow’s permanent record.