Using and licensing SFIA

Essential licensing context

The SFIA Foundation is a global not-for-profit foundation that does not seek commercial gain over and above its subsistence needs. Our altruistic aim is simple: to enable greater capability and capacity within the global digital workforce for the good of the global society as a whole.

The SFIA Framework, guidance and support assets are the intellectual property of the SFIA Foundation.

• Please don't use our name, logos, or screenshots ("brand materials") in ways that may be confusing, misleading, or suggest our sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation. For example, your name and logo should be more prominent than The SFIA Foundation name or logo.
• Please don't edit or change The SFIA Foundation logo.
• Please don't use our name as a part of your company or service name, website name, trade name, or product name. Don't use our logo or incorporate our logo into yours. Don't use a domain name containing "sfiafoundation" or any confusingly similar words.
• Please don't give the impression that you are the SFIA Foundation or speak for the SFIA Foundation
• Please ensure that any clients that you provide products or services to that include components from the SFIA Framework or other assets from the SFIA Foundation are themselves licensed to use SFIA - you cannot sub-licence SFIA to others through your products, services or associate and partner programmes..

As a not-for-profit, we rely on your corporate and personal support with regards to the above.

Using SFIA under licence

The SFIA Foundation maintains and distributes SFIA using a licensing system. For personal career development and for the majority of internal use for staff management and workforce development, SFIA is available free of charge. Other use may require different licences which may incur a modest fee.

The following is prohibited without a special fee-bearing licence from the SFIA Foundation:

• using SFIA to support the sale or marketing of any product or service
• using SFIA for external certification or credentials
• using SFIA for recruitment as a service offering
• using SFIA to promote a company or organisation, including in rate cards
• using SFIA across a large organisation
• redistributing SFIA material in electronic or printed form to any other organisation (even if affiliated)
• translating SFIA into another language or language variant and distributing that version

Separate licensing is available for large-scale SFIA use. This is particularly attractive where a country or widespread public-sector wishes to use the global common reference model of SFIA as the foundation of its wide-scale skills and competence initiatives. Licensing includes:

• whole of public-sector licence
• whole of country licence

As a not-for-profit, all revenue received is used to develop, maintain and make available the SFIA Framework and support the adoption by organisations and individuals around the world through the global ecosystem.

Our licensing terms reflect that our intellectual property does indeed have a value, so we seek its protection through a very modest fee arrangement for those who benefit commercially from its use. The Foundation doesn’t generate substantial revenue, and has a very modest operations capability supported by the users, trainers, consultants and partners of SFIA around the world.

The governance of the SFIA Foundation is provided by respected organisations or professional bodies and all information can be obtained from the SFIA web site – www.sfia-online.org

Intellectual property and copyright

SFIA is the intellectual property of the SFIA Foundation.

The trademark SFIA is protected in more than 35 countries throughout the world.

Copying of this material is prohibited unless authorised in writing or under a valid SFIA licence obtained from the SFIA Foundation.

The SFIA Foundation Ltd.  A private company limited by guarantee.  Registered in England number 04770377.
Registered Office: The Scalpel, 18th Floor, 52 Lime Street, London EC3M 7AF, UK