Digital products licensing

Using standards content in digital and AI tools

Standards support safe and consistent good practice across New Zealand. As digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and large language models (LLMs) become more widely used, it’s important to understand how standards content can – and cannot – be used in these environments.

All standards published and sold by Standards New Zealand, including joint Australian/New Zealand and international standards, are protected by copyright. Buying or accessing a standard does not give permission to copy, reproduce or reuse its content in digital products, software or AI tools without a licence.

We support innovators looking to repurpose standards – or parts of them – in digital tools and apps that increase their usefulness and make good practice simpler.

Our digital products licensing programme (DPL) lets innovators partner with us to generate services and applications using our standards content to provide greater benefits for end users.

Using a standard vs reproducing its content

Standards are intended to be used by people to guide how work is done. However, copying or embedding content from a standard – such as text, tables, diagrams, or formulae – into another system or product is reproducing the content and requires permission.

Reproducing standards content without a licence is a breach of copyright, even if the purpose is internal use, efficiency or innovation.

AI, software and digital tools

Standards content cannot be used in digital or AI‑enabled tools without a licence. This includes:

• software, mobile apps and digital platforms
• AI tools and LLMs (including prompts, outputs, or knowledge bases)
• internal compliance, training, or decision‑support systems.

Uploading standards or standards content to public or third‑party AI tools (such as ChatGPT) without permission is strictly prohibited.

Licensing standards content

Standards New Zealand offers licensing pathways that allow organisations to use standards content lawfully in digital and AI tools. Licences are tailored to specific use cases and provide legal certainty.

Encouraging innovation

We support innovators looking to repurpose standards – or parts of them – in digital tools and apps that increase their usefulness and make good practice simpler.

Our aim is to help with the creation of these solutions by providing copyright pathways at the beginning of product development, rather than take ownership of the solutions. Accordingly, we can neither subsidise the work of innovators, nor endorse products. Rather, we negotiate commercial arrangements with those who develop products with standards content.

We can also provide copyright pathways for business owners who want to build tools for their staff to use in applying standards, understanding standards or evaluating levels of standards compliance.

Get in touch

If you’re considering using standards content in a digital product or AI system, or you’re unsure whether a licence is required, contact us early.
Email: copyright@standards.govt.nz