Protocol for implementing open access data
December 16, 2007
On the 5th anniversary of Creative Commons, Science Commons just announced the Protocol for Implementing Open Access Data (”The Protocol”). Four months ago, I had wondered what the folks at Science Commons were planning for open data. I think we just got our answer.
The Protocol is intended to conform to the Open Knowledge Definition and extend the ideas of the Budapest Declaration to data and databases. The Protocol is being submitted to the W3C for consideration. Here are some of the salient features (I quote copiously)
- Given the amount of legacy data, it is unlikely that a single license will work for scientific data. Therefore, the memo focuses principles for open access data and a protocol for implementing those principles
- Tools created under conforming implementations will create the foundation to legally integrate a database or data product available under a tool conforming to the protocol with another database or data product available under a tool conforming to the protocol
- Patent rights are not covered
- Any implementation of the Science Commons Database Protocol may be submitted to Science Commons for certification as a conforming implementation.
- Implementations found to conform to the Protocol will be authorized to use the Science Commons Open Access Data trademarks (icons and phrases) and metadata on databases available under conforming implementations of the protocol. These marks will be maintained by Creative Commons and released in conjunction with the CC0 project icons and metadata
- To facilitate data integration and open access data sharing, any implementation of this protocol must waive all rights necessary for data extraction and re-use (including copyright, sui generis database rights, claims of unfair competition, implied contracts, and other legal rights), and must not apply any obligations on the user of the data or database such as “copyleft” or “share alike”, or even the legal requirement to provide attribution. Any implementation should define a non-legally binding set of citation norms in clear, lay-readable language
- To facilitate data integration and open access data sharing, any implementation must include waivers of sui generis and other legal grounds for database protection
- To facilitate data integration and open access data sharing, any implementation MUST affirmatively declare that contractual constraints do not apply to the database
- To provide for interoperation with non-open access data, any implementation of this protocol MUST NOT enable assertions of copyright, sui generis, or any other forms of contractual control on digital identifiers and metadata describing non-open access data
- Science Commons is withdrawing their recommendation that “copyrightable elements” of a database be made available under a copyright license like the CC licenses or the GNU Free Documentation License (FDL), mostly due to the difficulty in determining where copyright begins in and ends in many databases
Much of this work has been done in collaboration with Talis. I haven’t quite managed to read through all the legal speak, but the move away from a copy-left license is very welcome and interesting. In other words, data being submitted to Genbank, etc won’t suddenly be required to have a copy-left license. I wonder how interdependent this protocol and CC0 are?
Anyway, more of this later in the week. I just saw the blog post and had to share it. I consider just the announcement to be a monumental moment. Will it change how scientific information is shared and disseminated? I don’t know. But my hope has always been that Science Commons would lead the way.
In passing, I and waiting to read what Peter Suber, Glyn Moody, Bill Hooker and Peter Murray-Rust, all more involved with these issues than I am have to say about this
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Technorati Tags: Science Commons, Open Science, Open Data, Protocol for implementing open access data, Open Access
Posted by Deepak Singh | Filed Under IP, Open Science
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7 Responses to “Protocol for implementing open access data”
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This is interesting and exciting. I’m not sure what it means yet, but I hope that it means what I think it means!
Now that we have a definition, the next step is practical action. Let’s face it, these statements mean very little to most research scientists. For those asking the question: “how can I better make my data available” - let’s have tools.
Neil
That’s the part I worry about. I’ve been in/seen too many situations where good intentioned plans are laid out, but until action is taken on the ground that’s all they are.
For Science Commons, the challenge is going to be helping scientists understand what this all means in non-legal speak and what needs to be done.
Science Commons sounds good, legally speaking. When I made an interview with Lessig in Budapest 2 years ago I asked about him on extending CC to Science and the answer was positive, but nothing definite or concrete. Now at least we have a protocol.
[…] The blogosphere is alight with the announcement from Science Commons of a protocol for implementing open access data. This Technorati search with keywords “science commons open data” throws up 528 posts, many of which are relevant. I suggest that you also follow developments via Deepak’s blog and links therein. […]
[…] Posted by Jason Stajich on December 18, 2007 Neil points out that the Science Commons has released a new standard for implementing open access data and also references Deepak’s nice summary of the important points. A standard like this will be an important step towards increasingly more open science and how data is made accessible. […]
[…] Deepak Singh, co-founder of Bioscreencast, on what the protocol could mean for science: “I consider just the announcement to be a monumental moment. Will it change how scientific information is shared and disseminated? I don’t know. But my hope has always been that Science Commons would lead the way.” […]
[…] I was just randomly searching Lijit too see the blogosphere response to the newly announced Protocol for Implementing Open Access Data, which I blogged about earlier. Turns out, that the Trance Project from ProteomeCommons has signed up to the protocol. If you recall, I had written about the Tranche project some nine months ago after the US HUPO conference. It’s nice to see someone adopting the Science Commons vision. Even nicer when two items you covered some nine months apart come together this conveniently and allow you to write a quick blog post. […]