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Understanding the IC+ End User Licence Agreement (EULA): Working with Premium Data
Oct
A practical guide to using, sharing and reporting licensed IC+ data
As we venture into the world of premium (licensed) data, it is important that users understand how the End User Licence Agreement (EULA) applies in practice and to avoid misinterpretation. Central to the IC+ licensing model are licence extensions, which can allow external recipients to receive data without obtaining their own licence. There is also a bulk-user pricing system, which quickly reduces the cost per user.
How the Licensing Model Works
An organisation holding an IC+ licence may use the data internally, provided its licence covers the correct number of internal users. The licence holder can also extend access to external users when they need IC+ data for the licence holder’s project or within a specific tool approved by the licence holder.
This arrangement means an external recipient does not necessarily need to hold a separate licence. Bulk-user pricing also helps make wider access more economical by reducing the cost per user as the number of covered users increases.
Using IC+ Data with External Recipients
Licence extensions can be used when issuing project reports, spreadsheet calculations or other outputs that contain identifiable IC+ data. The same principle applies where the data is made available through a specific tool operated by the licence holder. Any output supplied to an external user must include a clear disclaimer stating that it must not be distributed or otherwise made available to unlicensed users.
External users covered by an extension may use the data only for the licence holder’s project for which the report was issued, or within the specified tool. They may not extract or transfer the data outside that medium, circulate it further, or reuse it on unrelated projects. An external user wishing to use IC+ data independently or across other projects must obtain a licence directly.
Transparent Reporting and Public Disclosure
Licensed users may therefore receive identifiable IC+ data, allowing calculations and results to be presented transparently. Restrictions are in place when a report will be distributed to unlicensed users or released publicly. In those circumstances, the report must not disclose enough information for IC+ data to be identified or back-calculated, except where the EULA expressly permits it.
Overview of IC+ Licence Extension Model
An overview of the IC+ license extension model is shown below, which shows how users that are external to the license holder are permitted to use IC+. Note that project outputs that contain identifiable IC+ data can only be distributed to other licensed users, and must contain a disclaimer that they cannot be distributed to unlicensed users.
An overview of the IC+ license extension model
A Forthcoming Improvement to the EULA
After feedback from stakeholders, and to make public-facing reporting more practical, the EULA is being updated to allow a small number of IC+ factors to be identifiable or capable of being back-calculated. This improvement will also be extended to organisations that have already purchased an IC+ licence.
The revised approach is intended to balance transparent reporting with the need to protect licensed premium data. Until the updated terms are issued, licence holders should continue to follow the current EULA and ensure that access, use and distribution remain within the scope of their licence.
Further Details on IC+
