for the version of SNOMED created over the next 5 years. It also only applies in the US. Other licenses may be being negotiated for other countries.
I will plan on using SNOMED with OpenEMed, but won't supply it with the software. One will have to get it from SNOMED directly.
Dave At 01:52 PM 7/3/2003 -0700, Andrew Ho wrote:
On Thu, 3 Jul 2003, Pat wrote:
> Ummmm, Is this a good thing?
Pat, We don't have the perfect thing yet so maybe this SNOMED thing can be useful in the meantime. :-)
> I went to the HHS and Smomed International site to review the > documentation available. I have some questions. > Will there be any restrictions on the license?
Did you read the actual license? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/Snomed/snomed_license.html
> the FAQ that they provide states no, but there is the Class 3 > restriction. Snomed says it will be available but I think we will have > to wait and see. > > Also, what happens at the end of 5 years? Will all of those using Snomed > now have to license the product from Snomed International?
The announcement say it is a "perpetual" license: (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/Snomed/snomed_announcement.html)
Section 2.1 of the actual licese says: "... perpetual non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, and distribute SNOMED by incorporating it into LICENSEE's internal computer systems and in the UMLS Metathesaurus ..."
Further down, Section 2.3.1 says: "2.3.1 CAP owns and shall retain ownership of the copyright and patent in SNOMED and in the trademark SNOMED. LICENSEE shall not take any action adverse to these rights..."
This reminds me of IBM's "perpetual" UNIX license :-).
> Will this be another hook, like MS products?
Of course, but unless there is a viable "Free" alternatives, SNOMED will be the only show in town.
Free medical software that incorporate this non-Free terminology is going to be seriously encumbered. On the other hand, if Free software does not use this new "standard", they will not be viable.
Since OIO does not include any medical terminology (or "data model" as Tim Churches puts it), supporting SNOMED will not encumber OIO. I am curious how other Free/Open source medical software projects plan to tackle this issue.
Best regards,
Andrew --- Andrew P. Ho, M.D. OIO: Open Infrastructure for Outcomes www.TxOutcome.Org
