IP, copyright, trademarks, credits & acknowledgements

IB1 has an open-by-default policy: what this means for you

Transparency and scrutiny

Outputs are published under CC-BY or MIT, so evaluators, auditors and the public can inspect what was delivered without NDAs or paywalls
Open code on GitHub allows independent security review and technical due diligence
Published consultation responses and reports create a verifiable record of how decisions were reached
Supports the Technology Code of Practice and Service Standard on open source and open standards

Trust and accountability

Clear attribution requirements mean provenance of ideas, data models and code is traceable
Explicit background vs foreground IP distinction reduces disputes about who owns what
Registered trademarks protect the integrity of named services, so buyers know what “IB1 Trust Framework” means and who is behind it
Non-profit status with a stated open policy signals mission alignment

Low switching costs and no lock-in

MIT-licensed code can be forked, hosted or maintained by another supplier if our relationship ends
CC-BY documentation, guidelines and standards can be reused by successor suppliers or your own teams
Open standards reduce dependency on proprietary formats, APIs or platforms
Buyers retain the ability to build on outputs without renegotiating licences

Value for money

Public funding produces public goods rather than assets locked inside one supplier
Outputs can be reused across departments, regulators and sector bodies at no additional licence cost
Avoids paying repeatedly for the same foundational work across multiple contracts
Collaboratively-created IP is openly licensed by default, so co-funded work benefits all parties

Interoperability and market development

Pre-competitive focus means outputs are designed for adoption across the whole market, not one vendor’s product
Open standards and shared processes lower barriers for new entrants, supporting competition in later procurements
Reciprocal linking and citation build a visible ecosystem of adopters, evidencing traction

Risk management

Explicit handling of third-party rights (licensed photographs, CC-BY-ND images) shows IP hygiene and reduces infringement exposure
Case-by-case exception process (e.g. time-delayed open licensing) accommodates commercial continuity without abandoning openness
Disclaimer clarifies that guidance is advisory and adoption is at each organisation’s discretion, limiting liability ambiguity
Stated alignment with data protection and competition law

Compliance and policy fit

Consistent with UK government open data, open source and Smart Data policy direction
Simplifies IP clauses in contracts because default terms are already open and published
Supports social value criteria through knowledge sharing and open collaboration

References:

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise noted, and where legally and commercially relevant and appropriate, IB1 programme outputs are licensed for use under an open licence such as a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC-BY or CC-BY-ND) or open software licenses by Icebreaker One Ltd.

This means you may use our words and images and embed them in your work (e.g. use in a report or publication) without asking us for permission.

If you do use them, you must credit us (IB1 or Icebreaker One) and link back to our website (https://ib1.org). If you let us know, we can link back to your work (reciprocity is a foundation of open collaboration and the web, not just for providing credit).

Unless otherwise noted, IB1 outputs are licensed as CC-BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Unless otherwise noted, all code outputs (https://github.com/icebreakerone) are openly licensed under an MIT licence: https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License)

You can download our CC-BY and CC-BY-ND designed images here for use in your work.

We encourage and support our team in making contributions to open-source projects, and we encourage you to do the same.

We are focused on pre-competitive areas of market development. IP that you have or uniquely create outside of our programmes to develop your own products and services will remain yours: this distinction (‘background IP’) is covered in standard IB1 Membership terms.

All collaboratively-created IP and/or derivative IP must be openly licensed by default. Exceptions to this do sometimes exist and these will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For example, open licenses may be applied with a time delay to address commercial continuity. If you are in any doubt about jointly-created IP, you must let us know explicitly in writing so we can collaborate on addressing any issues. For a high-level description of background vs foreground IP, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background,_foreground,_sideground_and_postground_intellectual_property

Exceptions

Trademarks, marks, copyrights and other rights

Icebreaker One is a non-profit which, as detailed above, has an open-by-default policy on its outputs. It protects its brand and services to maintain the integrity of its work.

While IB1 outputs are open-by-default, IB1 branded services including but not limited to “IB1 Constellation”, “IB1 Icebreaking” and “IB1 Trust Services”, their definitions and processes remain the sole property of Icebreaker One Ltd and may be subject to Trademark protection, separate licensing, or conditional usage on a case-by-case basis.

Icebreaker One™, Open Energy™, IB1 Trust Framework™ and IB1 Trust Services™ are registered Trade Marks of Icebreaker One Ltd. Various marks also exist as designs.

We expect CC-BY citations on both outputs and key phrases created, including but not limited to: “Connect don’t collect”, “Can we turn a critical mess into a critical mass?”, “To go far, we go together”, “NOVA framework”.

© Specific Copyright Notices

We have licensed © copyright photographs from Rachel Sussman and Chris Wainwright. While you are free to repost and embed Icebreaker One images that use them, the photographs may not be used independently and those Icebreaker One images may not be modified nor derivative works created (i.e. ‘Creative Commons No Derivatives‘, CC-BY-ND applies). To use or modify their photographs you must contact the respective copyright owner of those © photographs.

Image credits

For many icons, we use and support Noun Project.

For the use of their photographs, we thank:

Thanks to Lydiat/Wainwright Studios for use of Chris Wainwright’s Red Ice 2008. Disko Bay. Greenland

Red Ice-White Ice was a series made at night whilst circling around icebergs in a small inflatable boat off the northwest coast of Greenland in sub-zero temperatures. The photographs were made using red or white flash to reflect the temperature changes taking place in this fragile wilderness. Chris was a dear friend and we miss him greatly.

Antarctic moss — 5,500 years old; Elephant Island, Antarctica
Spruce Gran Picea — 9,550 years old; Sweden
Stromatolites — 2,000-3,000 years old; Western Australia
La Llareta — 3,000 years old; Atacama Desert, Chile
© Rachel Sussman

Thanks to our friend Rachel Sussman for use of her images from the The Oldest Living Things in the World.

Design

Creative direction, design and branding throughout by Philpott Design.

Disclaimer

All presentations, meetings, communications and initiatives by or facilitated by Icebreaker One are designed to support audiences in understanding opportunities and risks associated with net zero data and what needs to be done to address them.

Our work is aligned with relevant laws, including data protection, competition laws and related rules. Icebreaker One, its partners, members and supporters collaborate and work together to explore and to define options and directions for implementation, but the choice to adopt guidance, best practice tools or solutions are at the sole discretion of each individual member, organisation and/or individual based on their own decision-making.

Icebreaker One services to its members does not include nor constitute financial, legal or investment advice.

Our standard processes and terms are defined at https://ib1.org/terms

Acknowledgements

Nothing is created without the support of a broad and diverse constellation of supporters: we thank the many hundreds of people who have helped on the journey so far.