This repository represents the official Catena-X Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) profile.
The primary aim of the Catena-X ODRL Profile is to provide standardized contractual modules such as permissions, prohibitions and obligations in a manner such that they can be checked automatically, in a machine-readable format. In short: the ODRL profile enables automating contractual negotiations on the Catena-X Data Space as by default, contract negotiations happen electronically via a registered connector. This repository contains the technical definition of the Catena-X ODRL Profile and the legal definitions of the terms used in the Catena-X Data Space during the Dataspace Protocol Negotiation process and its resulting agreements.
All standardized contractual modules referenced in the Catena-X ODRL profile have a legal description, a technical term to reference them ("leftOperand") and in some cases a defined list of possible or allowed or standardized values ("rightOperand").
The Catena-X ODRL profile has an initial focus on providing standardized data usage policies "purposes" for the Catena-X Use Cases as a mutual foundation that all data space participants can rely on to ensure trust, interoperability, and scalability. These policies represent the Catena-X value proposition of data sovereignty in its purest form.
Below we list out an example for such a standardized usage policy based on the official Catena-X ODRL profile:
- Example Catena-X leftOperand for a standardized Catena-X usage policy: cx-policy:UsagePurpose
- Example Catena-X rightOperand for a standardized Catena-X usage policy: cx.circular.dpp:1
- Example legally binding purpose description of standardized Catena-X rightOperand: "Exchange and use of data according to the applicable public legal regulation directly requiring digital product passports or affecting the contents or handling of digital product passports."
Additional standardized contractual modules, e.g. such as liability, jurisdiction etc. will follow in future Catena-X Releases.
Contributions are made to the ODRL profile itself profile.ttl.
The human readable version is generated from the *.ttl file and stored under profile.md.
The Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) is a policy expression language that provides a flexible and interoperable information model, vocabulary, and encoding mechanisms for representing statements about the usage of content and services. The ODRL Information Model describes the underlying concepts, entities, and relationships that form the foundational basis for the semantics of the ODRL policies. Besides Catena-X, ODRL is used by the DSP (Dataspace Protocol), another core component of the Catena-X architecture
Policies are used to represent permitted and prohibited actions over a certain asset, as well as the obligations required to be meet by stakeholders. In addition, policies may be limited by constraints (e.g., temporal or spatial constraints) and duties may be imposed on permissions.
Source and more information on ODRL: w3.org
What is it? Catena-X has created a set of well-known rules (policies) for sharing data within its network, called the Dataspace. These rules were previously described in different formats.
What’s new? With the latest update Dataspace Protocol Release 2025-1, there is now a clear and standardized way (using JSON Schemas) for Dataspaces to define and share their own policy profiles.
Key Component: The Constraint Object The Constraint object is a building block in the Dataspace Protocol. It is used in important messages that help companies create legally binding data exchange agreements.
This folder provides:
- The necessary technical files (JSON schemas)
- A context file (JSON-LD)
- Examples of common policies and constraints
About CX-0152 Policy Constraints The CX-0152 document explains how to use these constraints in data access and usage policies. Until the official CX-0152 standard is published, this folder and its files serve as the main reference.
In summary: Catena-X now offers a clearer, standardized way to define and use data sharing policies, making it easier for companies to set up legal agreements for data exchange
The Catena-X Automotive Network e.V.'s Data Space Operations Commitee and its Regulatory Expert Group organizes the contribution process to this repository in accordance with the Catena-X Operating Model and its process for standardizing non-technical requirements.
This repository contains 2 licenses. The primary license is CC-BY-4.0 which can be found in the LICENSE file. This is for the main part of this repository, which is the definition of the ODRL terms - The Catena-X ODRL Profile.
Additionally, a small part of this repository is source code to generate the human readable documents and to test the definitions. Those parts are under Apache-2.0 and can be found in LICENSE_CODE. Each file needs to explicitly state that it is under this secondary license.
An example can be found in example_usage_policy.json and its jsonld expanded version example_usage_policy_expanded.json
# sudo npm install -g jsonld-cli
jsonld expand example_usage_policy.json > example_usage_policy_expanded.json
What is it? Catena-X has created a set of well-known rules (policies) for sharing data within its network, called the Dataspace. These rules were previously described in different formats.
What’s new? With the latest update Dataspace Protocol Release 2025-1, there is now a clear and standardized way (using JSON Schemas) for Dataspaces to define and share their own policy profiles.
Key Component: The Constraint Object The Constraint object is a building block in the Dataspace Protocol. It is used in important messages that help companies create legally binding data exchange agreements.
This folder provides:
- The necessary technical files (JSON schemas)
- A context file (JSON-LD)
- Examples of common policies and constraints
About CX-0152 Policy Constraints The CX-0152 document explains how to use these constraints in data access and usage policies. Until the official CX-0152 standard is published, this folder and its files serve as the main reference.
In summary: Catena-X now offers a clearer, standardized way to define and use data sharing policies, making it easier for companies to set up legal agreements for data exchange.