Keep in mind the correct use of standards – pay attention to copyright

What does the copyright on standards mean?

When you purchase a standard or other type of publication, you acquire specific rights of access and usage to it. Each standard is marked with a watermark at the bottom and on the left side of each page, displaying the name of the organisation and in many cases that of the customer, too.

The revenues from selling SFS, ISO and IEC standards are used for funding standardization. Therefore, protection of copyright is essential to the sustainability of the standardization system. Infringement of copyright can be detrimental to the user, too, as it may lead to incorrect application of a standard. The user cannot know whether the contents of a standard have been modified if the integrity and authenticity of the document cannot be confirmed.

In addition to SFS, ISO and IEC standards, the SFS Store also has many other types of standards available for purchase. Please contact our customer service for information on the copyright and right of usage of these standards.

Usage right of standards in a nutshell

When purchasing a standard, please pay attention to the following:

In which way can I use the standard I have purchased?

• Standards are always intended only for internal use in the organisation that has purchased them. For example, the organisation is not permitted to send standards or copies of them outside the organisation as appendices in invitations to tender, tenders or any marketing material.
• Rights of usage that come with the licence depend on the format of the standard. SFS sells standards in PDF format, as printed versions and via the Standard subscription service.
• Altering purchased files in any way is not permitted. Standards or excerpts from them may not be published on public websites or otherwise distributed in ways not granted by the acquired licence.
• All PDF files and paper copies must contain the same copyright, trademark and other information as the original standard.
• SFS standards can be purchased in PDF format for 1 to 5 users. If you need licences for additional users, we recommend using the Standard subscription service. For other standards, such as ISO, IEC and ASTM standards, only single-user licences are available if the standards in question are not included in your Standard subscription service collection.

PDF publications

A PDF version of an SFS, IEC, ASTM or ISO standard can only be used in as many workstations or printed as many times as specified in the purchase order.

• If the publication was purchased in the SFS Store or delivered by email, it may not be shared in a network such as the intranet of the organisation. The Standard subscription service is often the best solution for network use.
• All PDF publications are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM). Accessing DRM protected files requires a locally installed FileOpen plugin.

Standard subscription service

• We offer licenses to SFS, ISO, IEC and ASTM standards via the Standard subscription service, allowing your organisation to compile its own collection of standards. The terms and conditions of your licence will be defined in a written agreement.
• When using the Standard subscription service, you have the right to use the purchased standards or their copies in your organisation’s internal activities. Standards or copies of them may not be transferred outside the organisation.

May I cite standards or make copies of them?

If you need to copy or cite parts of standards, please contact our customer service:

• A permission may be given to cite standards or present summaries of them in commercial products, such as books and software, on a case-by-case basis. The prerequisite is that the source is given appropriately and in accordance with referencing conventions. A fee may be charged for the permission to publish citations or summaries.
• If you have purchased a standard and wish to share paper copies of it in an internal meeting or email a copy to a colleague, for example, you may do so in return for an additional fee.
• Any copies of standards must have a statement on the front cover saying that the copy is licensed. All copies must include the same copyright and trademark information as the original standard.
• Terms of use, including permissions regarding copies, are defined in your agreement on the use of the Standard subscription service.
• Whenever a standard is cited or copied, SFS has the right to charge an additional fee. Standards purchased by private persons for personal use are an exception; these can freely be copied for private use. Private persons are not allowed to copy standards for commercial use.

Data mining is prohibited

Data mining is prohibited without permission of SFS Finnish Standards (hereafter ’SFS’). It is prohibited to use contents of standards in their entirety, or parts thereof, to train or develop artificial intelligence. A standard or a part thereof may not be copied, downloaded or entered into any AI-based tool, application, software or similar without prior written permission of SFS. Using generative AI tools to analyse standards is prohibited. SFS reserves all rights to text and data mining of contents of standards.

Licence to use standards in an educational institution

• Standards may be used for teaching, studying and research purposes as well as for the administrative activities of an educational institution.
• Standards purchased by an educational institution are intended for the institution’s internal use only. They may not be disclosed to anyone outside the institution or published online.
• Educational institutions may hold various types of licences for the use of standards. If you did not purchase the standards yourself, you can the check the licence details with your educational institution’s library or by contacting SFS Customer Service, for example.
• In teaching materials, theses and final projects, you may include excerpts that constitute a maximum of 20% or up to 20 pages of an individual standard. However, key content, such as figures and tables, may not be included. When referring to a source, the designation, name and year of the standard must be indicated, as well as the relevant clause of the standard, if applicable.
• Citing, i.e. direct quotations, is allowed provided that the source is mentioned and the quotation is related to the topic in question.
• Plagiarism, i.e. unauthorised quotations, is prohibited – all sources must be indicated.
• Entering the content of standards into external systems is not allowed without written permission.
• Entering standards into AI applications is prohibited.
• If copyrighted materials are distributed extensively or published (in a textbook, for example), a publication permission from SFS is required. The permission is subject to an additional fee.

Guidance on using standards in student projects

The SFS Store and the website of the Finnish copyright organisation Kopiosto offer comprehensive information on the copyright and right of use concerning purchased standards.