Dear openEHR Community,
Following the community consultation earlier this year, we are pleased to confirm the publication of the openEHR Licensing Changes Policy v1.0.
The policy was approved by the openEHR International CIC Board on 8th July 2026 and is being published by openEHR International with the support of the openEHR Foundation.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the draft policy and provided comments during the consultation period. The feedback received was considered as part of the review and finalisation of the policy.
What is the purpose of the policy?
The openEHR Foundation is the holder of the intellectual property of the openEHR community and is responsible for final decisions regarding the licensing of openEHR assets.
The new policy establishes a formal process for obtaining community input where a change to the licence of an openEHR specification is being considered, particularly where a specification has been classified as PAUSED and a less restrictive licence may allow others to take up or continue the work.
The policy sets out the process for:
- the Specification Editorial Committee (SEC) to consider and formally recommend a licensing change;
- consideration of that recommendation by the openEHR International CIC;
- notification to the openEHR community, with members given 30 days to provide comments or raise concerns; and
- final ratification of the proposed licensing change by the openEHR Foundation Board.
Publication of this policy does not itself change the licence of any openEHR specification. Any proposed change to an individual specification will follow the process set out within the policy, including the opportunity for community input.
The approved openEHR Licensing Changes Policy v1.0 can be found here:
openEHR Licensing Changes Policy v1.0.pdf
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to the consultation and development of the policy.
Kind regards,
openEHR International