UK Government Launches “Open Government License v2.0”
From The National Archives (UK):
The National Archives has launched the Open Government Licence version 2.0 following consultation with users and other stakeholders in the open data community on how the Licence could be developed further to reflect new and emerging thinking on the licensing of public sector information.
The Open Government Licence is an open licence, which means that it allows information to be used and re-used with virtually no restrictions. The Open Government Licence is part of the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF) which was launched in 2010. The Open Government Licence permits the use and re-use of a wide range of government and other public sector information. This supports the government’s policy on transparency and open data.
What’s Changed in Version 2.0?
The basic terms and conditions of the Open Government Licence version 2.0 remain the same as the previous version in that it continues to:
- permit use and re-use of information in any format for both commercial and non-commercial purposes without charge
- require re-users to publish an acknowledgment of the source of the information
- exclude personal information from the licence
- be compatible with other licensing models, such as Creative Commons, and is Open Definition conformant
We have introduced a separate section of the Licence headed ‘Non-endorsement’. This is designed to make it clear that the licence does not permit the re-user to suggest that their versions of the information enjoy any official status or have departmental endorsement.
The National Archives is also introducing the OGL symbol, a simple way of identifying when information can be used and re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence. The OGL symbol was developed by The National Archives with help from the Government Digital Service. The OGL symbol, at a glance, shows that information can be used and re-used under open licensing.
Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Data Files, News, Patrons and Users
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.