WDTK refusals due to copyright/re-use regs

Introduction

This page is intended to capture any refusals by public authorities to send information to WhatDoTheyKnow.com due to copyright or re-use regulation issues.

Brent Borough Council

• The main recent case has been Brent Council. This was resolved thanks to the assistance of the ICO's enforcement team, who wrote to the Chief Executive of the council which appears to have cleared up problems.
• Sample request: [1]

House of Commons

• http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/online_petitions_documents_from
• BBC article

Salford University

• Salford University have previously refused a huge swathe of WDTK requests, treating them as "Vexatious" under s14... They have started replying recently to the odd non-contentious request though. [2]

Bristol City Council

• Request: List of residential properties owned by Bristol City Council
• They said:

In order for me to respond to your request, I will need a private address/ private e mail address to forward the information to.

Unfortunately I am unable to publish this information on the 'whatdotheyknow' website as this will make the information available for commercial re use, which you will be unable to control.

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

• Request: [3]
• Re-requested, and released following ICO intervention [4]

Learning & Skills Council

• Request: [5]
• They relented after involvement by the ICO, and sent the information

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

• Request: [6]
• They said:

Please be advised that we will, however, be unable to supply the information you have requested through the web site service you have used unless they confirm that the response will not be published on their site without our permission as required under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations.

• They have since responded to WhatDoTheyKnow for other requests.

Heriot-Watt University

• http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/audit_details_3
• They have since responded to WhatDoTheyKnow for other requests.

Preston College

• http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/plans_to_build_a_new_college
• They have since responded to WhatDoTheyKnow for other requests

Cumbria County Council

• One-off issue with copyright Ordinance Survey GIS data - [7]

Southampton University

• They used protected PDFs as a way of making users accept license conditions before viewing the document.
• For details see: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/printer_credit_purchased_4

Cambridgeshire County Council

• One-off refusal to provide part of the response (mapping info) due to (presumably) Ordnance Survey copyright restrictions [8]