We assist researchers in navigating data copyright and licensing, ensuring that you understand your rights and responsibilities when sharing your data.
When evaluating datasets, it’s essential to distinguish between their structure and their content. The creative organization or arrangement of data—such as the schema, tables, and relationships—is possibly eligible for copyright protection. In contrast, individual data themselves (except images) are not protected. That said, in many jurisdictions a thoughtfully curated collection of data that reflects originality and creative input can qualify for copyright protection.
Promoting sharing and unlimited use of the data that you have produced yourself is best achieved using explicit licences. For open data it is recommended that you use one of the open compliant licenses marked as suitable for data.
The FBM/CHUV guidelines typically recommend FAIR Data Sharing and the use of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0 license, because it removes virtually all barriers to reuse while ensuring that original creators receive proper credit. However some repository mandates the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Public Domain Dedication CC0 and In this case, researchers must deposit their data under CC0.
Concerning sensitive and non-anonymized datasets from CHUV must be shared under a restricted access model, governed by a Data Transfer and Use Agreement (DTUA). In such cases, if the Principal Investigator and the relevant committee approve the request, a collaboration agreement may be established. The dataset can then be transferred to the external party under the terms of a CHUV DTUA, which is based on the standard template provided by the Swiss Personalized Health Network (link).
For concerns related to commercialization or patents, contact PACTT (Powering Academia-Industry Collaborations and Technology Transfer).
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We assist researchers in navigating data copyright and licensing, ensuring that you protec your rights and responsibilities when sharing your data.
Directive de la Direction 4.5 sur le traitement et la gestion des données de recherche à l’UNIL
Directive institutionnelle « Recherche sur l’être humain » du CHUV.