Is PRINCE2® in the public domain?
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law © 1996, the public domain is:
“the realm or status of property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone”
PRINCE2 is protected internationally by copyright. By definition, therefore, PRINCE2 is not in the public domain.
It is true that any organisation, in its drive to improve its Project Management processes and practices, can use the approach described in the official PRINCE2 publications. These publications, including the PRINCE2 manual – Managing Successful Projects With PRINCE2 – are published on behalf of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), which administers PRINCE2 for its owner, the British Crown, and can be bought from several outlets including HMSO UK and The APM Group. It is also true that certain Project Management self-assessments can be accessed and used free of charge within the OGC Successful Delivery Toolkit - www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit - under the specific terms of the Toolkit’s embedded shrink wrap licence.
However, it is NOT true that the contents of these PRINCE2 publications can be appropriated by anyone for reuse, reproduction or republication without the express permission of OGC. Why? Because PRINCE2 is owned, and the PRINCE2 publications are Crown Copyright and are a ‘Crown Copyright Value Added product’. Therefore, the publications are protected by copyright law. Training and Consultancy Organisations accredited by APMG, on behalf of OGC, have limited rights to use Crown Copyright material as one benefit of their accreditation.
If you want to reuse, reproduce or republish any part of a PRINCE2 publication, you can either apply for a Tailored Licence to Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO), Licencing Division, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich, NR3 1BQ, UK; or complete the application form on www.hmso.gov.uk/forms/cform2.htm. HMSO, in consultation with OGC, will prepare a licence based on standard terms tailored to your particular requirements - including payment terms.
Sellers and buyers of PRINCE2 publications should look for the acknowledgements of OGC ownership of the method and for reproduction of any PRINCE2 manual content – and report any breaches of copyright to HMSO at the address above.