Multiplayer
Dataset Rights & Licenses
Provenance and ownership are different concepts. A dataset always remembers where it originated, while active ownership and licenses can change through publication, marketplace activity, or full sale.
| Right | What the holder gets | Does ownership move? | Can prior history disappear? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Primary authority to list/sell/license the dataset subject to existing rights. | Only on full sale. | No. |
| Non-exclusive license | Licensed use while the owner may retain/sell other permitted rights. | No. | No. |
| Exclusive license | Stronger licensed use that constrains later licensing. | No. | No. |
| Full sale | Active ownership transfers to the buyer. | Yes. | No. |
| Publication | Scientific release according to the current publication/rights state. | No. | No. |
Prior licenses survive resale
If Observatory A issues a valid non-exclusive license and later sells the entire dataset to Observatory B, Observatory B becomes the owner but the earlier license remains part of the legal/history state. The sale does not retroactively invalidate it.
Provenance survives everything
The original observatory remains recorded as provenance even if ownership changes several times. This lets multiplayer trade create a real scientific chain of custody instead of rewriting the origin of the data.