Fairlode · From Blue Canvas in Derry
Data licensing in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Exploring whether your company's software history, support records or specialist knowledge could be useful for AI? Start with a non-confidential description, not an export.
Where we can help today
- Northern Ireland & Great Britain
- Initial descriptions-only reviews and, where appropriate, introductions with your separate written approval.
- Republic of Ireland
- Currently waitlisted pending our legal advice. We are not yet reviewing or introducing Republic of Ireland companies. There is no confirmed opening date.
Availability checked 12 October 2026. A listing or enquiry is not evidence of buyer demand.
What kind of licensing are we talking about?
This is about a business considering permission for an AI developer to use specified material on agreed terms. It is not a software subscription, an open-data licence or permission to sell somebody else's information.
The useful starting point is what the records explain: a problem and resolution, changes to software with their reasons, or a specialist process with recorded outcomes. Suitability, rights and buyer demand still need checking. Read how AI data licensing works before making assumptions about a deal.
A local point of contact, not a promise of a buyer
Fairlode is a service of Blue Canvas AI Ltd in Derry. Phil Patterson reviews submissions. We do not buy, hold or resell datasets, and we do not claim that every business has something a buyer will want.
For companies in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, the first step is a short description. Before any introduction, you approve the named partner and exactly what they would receive. You decide whether to accept an offer, with your own legal advice.
Keep the jurisdiction and the proposed use clear
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should not be treated as one legal jurisdiction. An adviser should consider where your company, the people concerned and any proposed recipients are based, alongside the intended use.
The Irish Data Protection Commission's data protection principles include purpose limitation and data minimisation. For UK guidance, the ICO explains anonymisation and its limits. Replacing names is not, by itself, proof that records are anonymous. Neither a licence nor a referral removes the need to assess the proposed processing.
What to prepare, wherever you are based
- A broad description of the records and the work they document.
- Approximate size, years covered and format, if those details can be shared.
- Known ownership, confidentiality or customer restrictions.
- Who would need to approve a licensing discussion.
Keep source code, customer information and sensitive details out. If even an outline is confidential, discuss an NDA before sending it. Our readiness checklist helps organise the questions without uploading records.
Considering data monetisation more broadly?
A licence is only one route. Read where a business should start with data monetisation to compare internal use, a new product and an external licence. Then look at what affects licensing value before treating an indicative range as an offer.
Based in Northern Ireland or Great Britain?
Describe what the business holds. No files and no obligation.
Describe your dataRepublic of Ireland companies: read the guides while the service is waitlisted. If you choose to submit a description, it will be waitlisted rather than assessed for an introduction.