The document discusses the Open Government Licence, noting that it allows for both commercial and non-commercial free use of public sector information with simple conditions of attribution and prohibiting misuse. It also notes that the licence is machine-readable and interoperable with other models like Creative Commons licenses. The document raises the benefits of machine-readable licenses for efficient information transfer and having a shared vocabulary, while also acknowledging there are still challenges to address and opportunities for the future of open licensing.

2. The Open Government Licence
Why and how
Jo Ellis
22 February 2013

3. Open Government Licence
Non-transactional
 Free commercial and non-
commercial use
 Machine-readable
 Simple conditions – attribution
and no misuse
 Public sector specific – conditions
and exemptions
 Interoperable with other licensing
models
Creative Commons

4. Machine readable
 Presenting licence terms in machine
readable formats facilitates the
efficient transfer of information.
 Creative Commons uses CCRel to
make their own licences machine
readable.
 Using a common vocabulary ensures
a shared understanding of how those
terms are defined.
4

5. The challenges

6. The future

7. Questions?