FAIMS 
Licensing
FAIMS has no licence fee, now or later, for any government, institution or organisation. What we ask in return is that you talk to the core team before you deploy it, and get your copy from us.
What needs permission
Reading the code, trying FAIMS out and changing it for your own use are open to anyone. Collecting real data with it needs a yes from the core team first, and so does taking it to another country or agency. Passing copies on, publishing a fork or selling FAIMS are not allowed.
| What you want to do | Cost | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| Read, study and audit the source | Free | Not needed |
| Evaluate it or run a trial | Free | Not needed |
| Deploy it to collect real data | Free | Ask first |
| Roll it out to another country or agency | Free | Ask again |
| Modify or configure it for your own use | Free | Not needed |
| Give a copy to another organisation | n/a | Not permitted |
| Publish a fork, or sell FAIMS or access to it | n/a | Not permitted |
Permission goes to a named organisation for a described deployment. It is not withdrawn without good cause and reasonable notice.
How to ask
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Write to the core team
Tell us your organisation, the country and fishery, roughly how many users and landing sites, and when you would like to start.
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Written permission
We confirm in writing and release the platform to you at no charge.
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Deploy
Run it with your own staff, or ask us to install, host, train and support it under a separate agreement.
Who it is for
- Government ministries, departments, authorities and agencies.
- Public research institutions and universities.
- Intergovernmental and international organisations.
- Non-profit and environmental organisations.
A fisheries authority using FAIMS for its public mandate is covered, including when it collects fees or levies as part of that mandate.
Recommending FAIMS
Sponsors, funders and partners are welcome to recommend FAIMS and introduce new users to the team. They cannot hand out copies themselves. The core team keeps one record of every deployment, where it runs and which version, so that there is always someone who knows the system and can be called when it needs attention.
Implementation and support
You can run FAIMS yourself. The team also offers paid services: installation, hosting, training, changes to fit your surveys, and ongoing support. That income funds further development. It is never a condition of using the platform.
Components and contributions
FAIMS includes third-party libraries that keep their own licences, and a few of them need a separate licence for some uses. The team lists these when it releases the platform to you.
Contributions of code and documentation are welcome. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, the team may use, change and release what you send. Larger pieces of work may need a short contributor agreement.
The full licence
The FAIMS Platform Licence, shipped as the LICENSE file with the software, is the governing text. Where this page and the file differ, the file applies.
FAIMS is provided without warranty. It supports fisheries and aquaculture management, monitoring and reporting, but using it does not by itself make an operator compliant with fisheries, environmental, maritime, privacy or data protection law. That responsibility stays with the operator.