{{short description|Content shareability criterion}} {{italictitle}} {{good article}} [[File:Open Content blue.svg|thumb|The Open content logo]]
'''The Open Definition''' (formerly '''Open Knowledge Definition'''){{sfn|Greenleaf |Lindsay|2018|p=494}} is published by the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) to define openness for any type of data, content, or other knowledge. The definition's stated purpose is to "[make] precise the meaning of ‘open’ with respect to knowledge".{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}} Although it draws philosophically from both the open-source and free software movements, the Open Definition prioritizes license compatibility over copyleft principles requiring derivative works to be released under a free license. The Open Definition contains requirements for content licenses to be considered open licenses, and the OKF maintains a list of compatible licenses. The definition also requires open access, machine readability, and the use of open formats. The OKF's Open Software Service Definition is derived from the Open Definition. ==Background== The Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) is a United-Kingdom-based NGO{{sfn|Stagars|2016|p=36}} that began work on the definition in 2006.{{sfn|Guy|2016|p=167}} According to the OKF, the Open Definition is "substantially derivative" of Bruce Perens' Open Source Definition and intends to continue Richard Stallman’s "ideals of software freedom".{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}} The Open Source Definition, which is the most widely used criteria for determining if a license is open source,{{sfn|De Maria et al.|2022|p=4}} is itself is derived from the Debian Free Software Guidelines.{{sfn|Katz|2022|p=521}} Although it is similar to David Wiley's defunct Open Content License (which allows retaining, revising, remixing, reusing, and redistributing open content works), the Open Definition is more specific.{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}} It is concerned with freedom of access and reuse, rather than open governance.{{sfn|Katz|2022|p=521}} The definition's stated purpose is to "[make] precise the meaning of ‘open’ with respect to knowledge".{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}}
==Content== The definition (version 2.1) contains the following summary: "Knowledge is open if anyone is free to access, use, modify, and share it—subject, at most, to measures that preserve provenance and openness".{{sfn|Katz|2022|p=521}}{{sfn|Hamilton |Saunderson|2017|p=53}} The previous version (1.0) stated that "A piece of content or data is open if anyone is free to use, reuse, and redistribute it — subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and/or share-alike."{{sfn|Katz|2022|p=521}} The new version makes it clear that using digital rights management (DRM) technology to reduce openness is not allowed.{{sfn|Katz|2022|p=521}}
The definition contains detailed criteria for open knowledge.{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}} In terms of open data, the definition covers the four main aspects:{{sfn|Stagars|2016|p=37}}{{sfn|Ciclosi| ''et al.''|2019|loc=The Openness}} *Open license—see below *Open access—the full content must accessible for free or for no more than a one-time reasonable reproduction fee, "and ''should'' be downloadable via the Internet without charge".{{sfn|Ciclosi| ''et al.''|2019|loc=The Openness}} *Machine readability—"The work ''must'' be provided in a form readily processable by a computer and where the individual elements of the work can be easily accessed and modified."{{sfn|Ciclosi| ''et al.''|2019|loc=The Openness}} * The work must use an open format and be viewable and modifiable "with at least one free/libre/open-source software tool".{{sfn|Ciclosi| ''et al.''|2019|loc=The Openness}} As such, the requirements of the Open Definition extend beyond open licensing by also requiring the elimination or reduction of technological barriers and pricing.{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=94}}{{sfn|Węcel|2022|p=9}} ===Licensing=== {{see also|Open license}} The definition lists nine areas in which the license must be open and seven restrictions that may be placed on the content.{{sfn|Hamilton |Saunderson|2017|p=53}} The OKF maintains lists of compatible and incompatible licenses that can be applied to knowledge.{{sfn|Martin|2022|p=27}}{{sfn|Hamilton |Saunderson|2017|p=53}} {{as of|2017}}, it was recommending, in particular, six licenses.{{sfn|Hamilton |Saunderson|2017|p=53}} It would be possible to draft a bespoke license that met the definition, but this practice would likely lead to compatibility issues in the event of reuse.{{sfn|Hamilton |Saunderson|2017|pp=53–54}} With the Open Definition, copyleft provisions—requiring reuse of content to be available under a free license—are allowed but not encouraged. The focus is more on license compatibility.{{sfn|Lund |Zukerfeld|2020|p=135}} Licenses that are noncommercial-only (prohibiting use of content for financial gain) or do not allow derivative works do not meet the Open Definition.{{sfn|Lund |Zukerfeld|2020|p=135}}{{sfn|Greenleaf |Lindsay|2018|p=494}}
==Alternatives== Most of the community involved in open data supports the Open Definition over competing ones, such as that offered by the technology firm Gartner—which only covers use and redistribution.{{sfn|Thompson|2023|p=107}} The value that the Open Definition provides as a standard is maintaining license compatibility and preventing the openness of data from being reduced by data sharing and reuse policies.{{sfn|Dalla Corte |van Loenen|2022|p=243}}
In contrast to some other definitions of open knowledge, the Open Definition requires freedom of reuse as well as freedom of access.{{sfn|Smith|Seward|2020|p=38}} Thus, many open access scientific publications do not meet the Open Definition.{{sfn|Langenkamp ''et al.''|2018|p=110}} == Derivatives == The OKF's Open Software Service Definition requires that the software service's code be free and open-source software and any non-personal data be available under the Open Definition. Lawyer Andrew Katz criticizes this definition for not doing enough to guarantee transparency and prevent vendor lock-in, which occurs when a company makes it deliberately difficult for users to switch to another service. He suggests that adding requirements for a fully documented and freely available API and bulk data export could mitigate lock-in.{{sfn|Katz|2022|pp=521, 527–528}} == See also == * Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities * Budapest Open Access Initiative *Definition of Free Cultural Works * UNESCO 2012 Paris OER Declaration
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==Sources== {{refbegin|indent=yes}} *{{cite book |last1=Ciclosi |first1=Francesco |last2=Ceravolo |first2=Paolo |last3=Damiani |first3=Ernesto |last4=De |first4=Ieso Donato |title=Politics and Technology in the Post-Truth Era |date=2019 |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-78756-984-3 |pages=89–114 |ref={{sfnref|Ciclosi| et al.|2019}} |chapter=Assessing Compliance of Open Data in Politics with European Data Protection Regulation}} *{{cite book |last1=Dalla Corte |first1=Lorenzo |last2=van Loenen |first2=Bastiaan |title=Elgar Encyclopedia of Law and Data Science |date=2022 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1-83910-459-6 |pages=241–252 |language=en |chapter=Open Data and Public Sector Information}} *{{cite book | last1=De Maria | first1=Carmelo | last2=Díaz Lantada | first2=Andrés | last3=Di Pietro | first3=Licia | last4=Ravizza | first4=Alice | last5=Ahluwalia | first5=Arti | title=Engineering Open-Source Medical Devices | chapter=Open-Source Medical Devices: Concept, Trends, and Challenges Toward Equitable Healthcare Technology | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | date=2022 | isbn=978-3-030-79362-3 | doi=10.1007/978-3-030-79363-0_1 |ref={{sfnref|De Maria et al.|2022}}}} *{{cite book |last1=Greenleaf |first1=Graham |last2=Lindsay |first2=David |title=Public Rights: Copyright's Public Domains |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-13406-5 |language=en}} * {{cite book | last=Guy | first=Marieke | title=Open Data for Education | chapter=The Open Education Working Group: Bringing People, Projects and Data Together | series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | volume=9500 | date=2016 | pages=166–187 | isbn=978-3-319-30492-2 | doi=10.1007/978-3-319-30493-9_9}} *{{cite book |last1=Hamilton |first1=Gill |last2=Saunderson |first2=Fred |title=Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage |date=2017 |publisher=Facet Publishing |isbn=978-1-78330-185-0 |language=en}} * {{cite book | last=Katz | first=Andrew | title=Open Source Law, Policy and Practice |chapter=Everything Open | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2022 | isbn=978-0-19-260687-7 | chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/book/44727/chapter/378969640 |pages=512–538 }} * {{cite journal | last1=Langenkamp | first1=Karin | last2=Rödel | first2=Bodo | last3=Taufenbach | first3=Kerstin | last4=Weiland | first4=Meike | title=Open Access in Vocational Education and Training Research | journal=Publications | publisher=MDPI AG | volume=6 | issue=3 | date=2018 | issn=2304-6775 | doi=10.3390/publications6030029 | doi-access=free | page=29|ref={{sfnref|Langenkamp et al.|2018}}}} *{{cite book |last1=Lund |first1=Arwid |last2=Zukerfeld |first2=Mariano |title=Corporate Capitalism's Use of Openness: Profit for Free? |date=2020 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-28219-6 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Martin |first1=Victoria |title=The Complete Guide to Open Scholarship |date=2022 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=979-8-216-06415-2 |language=en}} *{{cite book | last1=Smith | first1=Matthew L. | last2=Seward | first2=Ruhiya Kristine | title=Making Open Development Inclusive | chapter=Updating Open Development: Open Practices in Inclusive Development | publisher=The MIT Press | date=2020 | isbn=978-0-262-35882-8 | doi=10.7551/mitpress/11635.003.0006|chapter-url=https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/4873/chapter/618126/Updating-Open-Development-Open-Practices-in}} *{{cite book |last1=Stagars |first1=Manuel |title=Open Data in Southeast Asia: Towards Economic Prosperity, Government Transparency, and Citizen Participation in the ASEAN |date=2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-32170-7 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=John K. |title=Data for All |date=2023 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-63343-877-4 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Węcel |first1=Krzysztof |title=Big, Open and Linked Data: Effects and Value for the Economy |date=2022 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-07147-8 |language=en}} {{refend}}
== External links == * {{Official website}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Definition}} Category:Open data Category:Open content Category:2005 documents