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Intellectual property rights

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The principal objective of the Icelandic government’s language technology program is to develop core solutions and other projects that will be accessible and free of charge to innovators, companies, institutions and the public.

All researchers involved in the program have, therefore, undertaken to make all the software created within the project accessible by using open-source licences, such as Apache 2.0, or other equivalent or more extensive licences. In addition, all data that is made accessible as part of the project will, wherever possible, be subject to comparable open licences: CC BY 4.0 or a more extensive licence.  

 Use of.... vantar

As a result of third-party rights, or terms of use related to particular data, other licences may also be necessary.

In such cases, the licences must have as few restrictions as possible; must comply with the program’s terms and conditions; and must, as a minimum, be perpetual, worldwide, free and irrevocable. Any software solutions that are developed by using the data must have unlimited third-party access. The data must not, however, become part of any solution nor must access to it be necessary for the appropriate use of any solution. 

Implementing Bodies

The operators that were contracted by Almannarómur to develop language technology solutions have warranted that no software and/or data used to develop the solutions violate the intellectual property rights of any third parties. In addition, such software and data may not include any components subject to such rights and/or licences. In exceptional cases where it is necessary to use intellectual property owned by researchers or third parties in the development of language technology solutions, operators must obtain the necessary permission from the intellectual property owners. 

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Open licences

The Apache 2.0 licence

The main terms and conditions of the Apache 2.0 licence are:

  • the licence applies to software made available on the basis of its terms and conditions;
  • the licence is a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright licence to
  • reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicence, and distribute the work and
  • such derivative works in source or object form (the source or object code of the software);
  • there are no limitations to the commercial use of the software;
  • the licence holder may issue additions or derivative works under other (including more restrictive) licences.

Detailed information on the Apache 2.0 licence can be found here.

The CC BY 4.0 licence

The main terms and conditions of the CC BY 4.0 licence are:

  • the licence applies to text and data subject to either copyright or database rights and is made accessible on the basis of its terms and conditions;
  • the licence is a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, permissive licence that remains in effect as long as the copyright and/or database rights are in effect for the text and/or data in question;
  • there are no limitations on the commercial use of the text and data;
  •  the text or data may not be made accessible with terms and conditions that are narrower or more restrictive than those of the CC BY 4.0 licence.

Detailed information on the CC BY 4.0 licence can be found here.