The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) develops and publishes a wide range of best practice material, that is protected by Crown copyright and Trade Marks.

The OGC's Best Practice Portfolio covers a wide range of management practices, including programme and project management, procurement and service management. This exists in various formats, including web-based material as well as formally published books, CDs etc.

A full list of products comprising the Best Management Practice Portfolio is available by visiting www.best-management-practice.com/.

The OGC also produces a variety of other Crown copyright materials, which include documentation relating to the Gateway Reviews for Programme and Projects and a number of guidance and policy documents on public procurement and other related issues.

2. Why do you need a licence to reuse Intellectual Property?

You don't always - it depends on the material you are looking to use and how you wish to use it, for example the law allows you to re-use material for the purpose of private study or review.

The OGC has invested in producing high quality materials, which set the standard in certain sections of the market and are used on a worldwide basis. The reason that the OGC requires an individual to obtain a licence before permitting them to use OGC Intellectual Property is to enable the OGC to ensure that it can maintain the quality and image of its brand. It can put into place the necessary checks and approvals so that the product meets certain standards. It can also check that the appropriate acknowledgement is made and, in certain cases, fees are charged to provide a return on the OGC's investment into the development of best practice.

The OGC's approach to Intellectual Property management is based on standard legal practices for the protection of Intellectual Property rights and the British Government's policies for accessing information. Please visit: The OPSI website for more information relating to Crown copyright What is Crown copyright.

3. What if I have a query about using OGC's intellectual property?

Please contact the OGC Service Desk.

The service desk will be able to help you with queries relating to the use of material from OGC's products but they are not able to provide advice on intellectual property use generally. You can get more information from the UK Intellectual Property Office website at: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ or by speaking to a qualified intellectual property adviser.

4. What is Crown copyright?

Crown copyright is material which is produced by employees of the Crown in the course of their duties. Most material originated by ministers and civil servants is protected by Crown copyright. For further information about a range of copyright and access issues see

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/index.htm

5. What does copyright 'reuse' mean?

Reuse of Crown copyright material is where an individual or organisation wishes to copy or adapt the material for publication or other purposes.

Reuse covers a variety of possibilities. The following are examples of potential reuses :

Copying textual and/or image information into another document or product. For example, reproducing a diagram from Crown copyright material.
Rewording or redesigning textual and/or image information into another document or product, such that the essential meaning of the original material is retained. For example, adapting Crown copyright material by using different words and structures.
Publishing in electronic or hard copy formats any material that contains copied or adapted Crown copyright material.

For more information please follow the link to Scheme Explained.

6. Who owns the OGC material?

The copyright in all material published by the OGC or on the OGC's behalf, is owned by the Crown and comes within a special category of copyright material known as "Crown copyright".

The OGC Crown copyright material can be recognised as it will be accompanied by a copyright statement that generally carries the following wording:

Copyright protection applies to all of the OGC's material, wherever it is accessed or available.
The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the government department that is responsible for dealing with all issues relating to Crown copyright materials produced by all government departments. The OGC has been granted a delegation of copyright from OPSI which allows the OGC to licence its own Crown copyright material.
For more information please follow the link to Scheme Explained.

7. What types of licence are available?

For reuse of Crown copyright material, either a PSI (Public Sector Information) licence or a Value Added licence is required.

In certain circumstances a waiver may apply, see the section entitled "Use of content solely from the OGC's website" for more information.

Reuse of material marked "© Crown copyright" requires a PSI licence.

Reuse of material marked "© Crown copyright with Value Added product status" or "Value Added product" requires a Value Added licence.

For more information on the types of copyright licence that are available and how to obtain a copyright licence please follow the link to Scheme Explained
For reuse of trade marks, a trade mark licence is required - see Question 9.

8. What does a licence cover?

Reuse of the OGC's Intellectual Property (Crown copyright and trade marks) is typically for one of the following reasons:

For use within a non-commercial product or service - for example, as part of an organisation's internal management standards for use by staff in the course of their work.

For use within a commercially delivered product or service - for example, as part of a priced product sold or licensed to customers, or as part of a consultancy service delivered to customers.

9. How long is the licence valid for?

This depends on how you are using the material, for more information please follow the link to the Length of Licence document.

10. Do I have to pay for a licence?

This depends on the type of material you are using and how you will be using it, for more information please follow the link to Charging Structure.

11. I would like to reprint a publication I have already received a licence for; can I use the same licence?

The licence is only usually valid for the original application but it depends on the nature and extent of the changes within the reprint as to whether a new licence is required. As a general rule the greater the number of changes the more likely that it will be that you will need a new licence. Please contact the Licensing team via the OGC Service Desk for further advice.

12. I would like to use some OGC material in a book, what do I need to do?

You need to complete the Licence Application Form (MS Word, 55KB) prior to using any of the OGC's material. The OGC will then process your application and will provide you with a licence to develop your product. We will review your product and if approved, we will issue a licence for each application and an invoice for the amount due. The licence fee will depend on the amount of material used and further information on fees can be found at the Charging Structure.

13. I am designing a publication on behalf of a client. Who applies for the licence?

The client or author of the publication will need to complete and sign the application form before you use any of the OGC's Crown copyright material.

14. What are OGC's trade marks?

The OGC owns a number of trade marks and logos, which appear on certain published material and websites. Reference to a trade mark usually appears as: "... is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce". There are some variations to this statement, depending on the nature of the OGC's registration.

Trade mark protection applies to all uses of the OGC's trade marks. The OGC permits certain use of its trade marks in accordance with its policy as detailed on this website. For more information see the relevant pages for the trade mark you wish to use.

A full list of OGC's trade marks and can be found at Annex 1.

15. Can trade marks be reused or reproduced?

You should seek written permission from the OGC to reuse or reproduce any of its trade marks. Permission, if granted, will include conditions and restrictions. In some cases a trade mark licence will be required.

The OGC will consider an application for a trade mark licence to use an OGC trade mark name (not logo) in the title of a product or service, produced by non partner organisations, if they meet specific set criteria.

To apply to reuse or reproduce any OGC trade mark please contact the OGC Service Desk.

OGC will not permit any OGC trade mark to be used as a hyperlink, please refer to the Hyperlinking Policy section for more information.

The OGC's trade marks also appear on material published by our partner organisations and their accredited agents. All these instances are governed by specific Trade Mark licence terms and conditions.

16. Can I link to your website(s)?

Please refer to the Hyperlinking Policy section.

Related links

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Frequently Asked Questions