The terms of use for datasets of the federal authorities on opendata.swiss are determined by the existing legal framework. If there is a statutory requirement to cite the source, this is indicated by the appropriate symbol next to the dataset concerned. In all other cases, users are recommended to cite the source.
The symbols next to each dataset indicate what use is permitted. All data owners use the same symbols.
Table of contents
The 4 terms of use
Open use
- You may use this dataset for non-commercial purposes.
- You may use this dataset for commercial purposes.
- You are recommended to provide the source (author, title and link to the dataset).
Open use. Must provide the source.
- You may use this dataset for non-commercial purposes.
- You may use this dataset for commercial purposes.
- You must provide the source (author, title and link to the dataset).
Open use. Use for commercial purposes requires permission of the data owner.
- You may use this dataset for non-commercial purposes.
- You may use this dataset for commercial purposes, but you must seek prior permission from the data owner.
- You are recommended to provide the source (author, title and link to the dataset).
Open use. Must provide the source. Use for commercial purposes requires permission of the data owner.
- You may use this dataset for non-commercial purposes.
- You may use this dataset for commercial purposes, but you must seek prior permission from the data owner.
- You must provide the source (author, title and link to the dataset).
Usage model
opendata.swiss provides a usage model for other Swiss authorities and organisations with a mandate from the state. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Licences versus terms of use
Creative commons (CC) licences are legal contracts that allow copyright holders to establish terms for the reuse of their work, while retaining their rights. By contrast, terms of use can include technical or organisational rules, even where no copyright protection exists. In Switzerland, raw data or datasets (e.g. temperature recordings, demographic statistics) are not generally protected by copyright (source: User licences – UNIL). That is why the datasets on opendata.swiss are generally accompanied by terms of use, rather than licences. This approach seeks to maximise transparency for users, while respecting the legal framework applicable to each type of content published.
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