Copyright, open data, open source and licensing

Members of Interwoven have provided wide-ranging advice on copyright and licensing and performed central roles in the development of government guidance on intellectual property rights in ICT contracts, open data and licensing, and open source software licensing. One of its members has provided the vast majority of legal advice for the Government’s Open Data and Information Programme and provided associated training to a wide range of government departments and Crown entities.

Our involvement is often at the crossroads of IP and IT and we have also advised on intellectual property disputes.

Our work has included:

  • drafting a contributor agreement for departmental software and advising on its related licensing under the GPL
  • advising on copyright and licensing issues regarding a national soils database and a repository of authoritative New Zealand science datasets
  • advising on open data issues and preparing data licensing agreements in connection with Spatial Data Infrastructure Project
  • developing the New Zealand Government Open Access and Licensing framework (NZGOAL), NZGOAL Guidance Notes and reviewing and amending NZGOAL in 2014
  • developing the NZGOAL Software Extension on licensing agency software on open source terms, in collaboration with agency staff and taking into account public consultation feedback
  • advising on the use and re-use of data in a large and economically significant database
  • advising on licensing and mapping issues in connection with a national geotechnical database
  • advising on technological protection measures, geo-unblocking and copyright infringement
  • advising on unauthorised access to or taking of intangible property
  • advising on the licensing for historic memorabilia
  • advising on copyright and Creative Commons licensing in relation to nationally significant databases and collections of flora
  • advising on licensing and possible commercialisation of developed intellectual property
  • advising on allegations by a previous supplier of breach of intellectual property rights and ongoing use of the impugned materials.