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RightsStatements.org

Digital Scholar
United States of America
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About

Launched: 2016
Record Updated: Sep 11, 2026
Standard, specification or protocol
We provide simple and standardized terms - which we call ‘rights statements’ to summarize the copyright status of objects in their collection, as well as how those objects may be used.
The rights statements are designed to be used by cultural heritage institutions to communicate the copyright and re-use status of digital objects to their users. These statements provide a best practice for use by both international, national and regional aggregators of cultural heritage data, and the individual institutions and organisations that contribute data to them.
The rights statements are not just about the making things easier for the user. RightsStatements.org establishes the vocabulary that every organization can use to talk to their audiences - internally and externally - about copyright and related rights in a meaningful way. It provides the technical and governance infrastructure to support their development and adoption, and ensure their on­going relevance.
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Mission

We believe that everyone should be able to engage with their cultural heritage online, and we are not alone in this - libraries, archives and museums around the world are also looking for ways to improve access to and reuse of their digital collections.
We want to help cultural heritage institutions work towards this vision by making it easier for users to understand what they can do with a digital object they discover. Our work is driven by the absence of a global approach to addressing this. No other systems meet the specific needs of a broad range of cultural heritage organisations, which has led to a proliferation of terms. This has led to confusion for the organisations and the users.

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open Code Repository

Implemented
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Technical Documentation

Implemented
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Code License

Implemented
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Open Data Statement

Implemented
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Open Product Roadmap

In Progress
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Technical Attribute Statements

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Code Licenses Used

Find details at https://github.com/rightsstatements/rights-app/blob/master/LICENSE.

Content Licensing

  • Creative commons licenses
  • Rightsstatement.org licenses

Standards

Metadata

  • JSON

Policies & Governance

Policies

Bylaws

In Progress
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Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

In Progress
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Privacy Policy

Implemented
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Governance Records

In Progress
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Governance Structure & Processes

In Progress
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Transparent Pricing and Cost Expectations

In Progress
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Policy Statements

Board Structure

  • Advisory board or steering committee

Community Governance

  • Ad hoc

Additional Information

Organizational History

Organizational history information is available at https://rightsstatements.org/en/about.html.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Fiscal sponsorship (non-profit)

Full-time Staff

0

Volunteers

6-10

Funding

Primary Funding Source

Funding sources are currently under development. Check back for additional updates.
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