About Us
Contents
What is Open Knowledge?
'Open knowledge' is any content, information or data that people are free to use, re-use and redistribute -- without any legal, technological or social restriction. We detail exactly what openness entails in the Open Knowledge Definition. The main principles are:
Free and open access to the material
Freedom to redistribute the material
Freedom to reuse the material
No restriction of the above based on who someone is (e.g. their nationality) or their field of endeavour (e.g. commercial or non-commercial)
What is the Open Knowledge Foundation?
The Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2004 and dedicated to promoting open knowledge in all its forms. It is a leader in this field nationally and internationally.
The Foundation's activities are organized around individual working groups and projects, each focused on a different aspect of open knowledge, but united by a common set of concerns, and a common set of traditions in both etiquette and process. These are explained in more is detail on the governance page, but can be summarized as:
- Open discussion
- Meritocracy
- Tolerance
Who are you?
We're a collaborative effort primarily run by volunteers led by a core Executive Group. This is supplemented by the expertise of a distinguished Advisory Board.
One of our major functions is acting as a hub for work on open knowledge, drawing together representatives from across the knowledge society - from academics, public servants and entrepreneurs to data experts, archivists and web developers.
What do you do?
Our work includes:
Promoting the idea of open knowledge, both what it is, and why is it a good idea.
Working on open knowledge projects, such as http://www.openeconomics.net/ or Open Shakespeare
Providing infrastructure, and potentially a home, for open knowledge projects, communities and resources. For example, we run the KnowledgeForge service and Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network.
- Acting at UK, European and international levels on open knowledge issues.
What is your legal status?
The Open Knowledge Foundation Limited is a not-for-profit organization. It is incorporated in the United Kingdom as a company limited by guarantee with company number 5133759. The registered office is 37 Panton Street, Cambridge, CB2 1HL and it is to this address that all correspondence should be addressed.
