Usage Policy & Rights

ODRL

Open Digital Rights Language

Formal standard Global W3C Since 2018

A policy expression language for permissions, prohibitions and obligations over any asset: who may use this data, for what purpose, under which constraint, and with what duty attached.

It is the vocabulary European data space initiatives use to make terms of use machine-enforceable rather than PDF-shaped. If you need to carry a purpose limitation alongside the data itself, this is the standard to reach for.

At a glance

Category
Usage Policy & Rights
Jurisdiction
Global
Governance
W3C
Status
ODRL 2.2 W3C Recommendation (2018)
First released
2018

Links

Related frameworks

Other entries under Usage Policy & Rights.

See ODRL in context

Open the interactive Data Landscape for Regulation to compare ODRL against every other framework, or grab the raw JSON. Certification schemes and editions move — follow the source links before relying on this page.