About Data Licensing Index
Quick answer, updated
Data Licensing Index is an independent, dated index of who pays companies to license their internal data to AI labs, with sources for every figure. It is published by AC0 AI, S.L.U. and edited by David Persson. Sellers pay nothing; buyers may pay us a referral fee when an introduced company signs.
What the index is
Data Licensing Index tracks the companies that buy, broker or list licenses to a company’s internal operating data: chat in Slack or Microsoft Teams, email, support tickets, code, CRM records and internal documents. Some sell straight to AI labs. The rest are brokers, marketplaces or shutdown services that sit between the seller and the lab. The buyer index shows each one’s type.
Data Licensing Index covers the market for a business’s internal operating data. It is not a benchmark of open-data or AI-transparency policies, and it is not affiliated with the Open Data Institute, the Data Provenance Initiative or any financial index provider.
Every row in the buyer index shows what the company itself publishes: how it pays, the range it states, what it charges the seller, the smallest company it works with, how it takes in data and whether it pays us. Each row lists the pages its figures come from, with the exact quote and the date we read them. Where a company publishes nothing, the row says Not published. We do not estimate.
The index is written for three situations:
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| Shutting down, or already shut down | Selling company data when you shut down |
| Operating, with roughly 30 to 200+ staff | The buyer index and how we check it |
| Already holding an offer | The offer checklist |
When you are ready to hear from buyers, ask for offers. We never ask for data, exports, samples or passwords.
Who runs it
The index is published by AC0 AI, S.L.U., Calle Maestranza 25, planta 1, 29016 Málaga, Spain, tax ID (NIF) B26808741. David Persson is the editor. The editor decides what goes into each row, signs off on every change and answers corrections and replies from listed companies.
Write to hello@datalicensingindex.com for corrections, replies from listed companies, privacy requests and anything else.
What we do, and what we never do
| We do | We never do |
|---|---|
| Publish dated rows with a primary source for every figure | Accept payment for placement, tier or wording |
| Introduce a company to the buyers it picks, when it asks | Receive, store or transfer a company’s data |
| Tell you before each introduction whether that buyer pays us | Ask for exports, samples, passwords or admin access |
| Publish corrections and listed companies’ replies, with dates | Negotiate price or sign anything on your behalf |
| Log every change on the changelog | Charge sellers for the index, the value check or introductions |
We are a finder, not your agent, broker or adviser. Any license is agreed directly between you and the buyer.
What needs extra care
- Employee email or chat from staff based in the EU, the UK or Canada.
- Client data from law, accounting, tax or health firms. Their internal operating data is usually easier. Their clients’ files are the hard part.
These are the cases where the seller carries the most legal risk and where clearing the rights is hardest. They usually need consent or anonymization first, and some cannot be licensed at all. Tell us anyway, and we will flag it to you before any introduction.
How it is funded
Our revenue model is referral fees that buyers pay when a company we introduced signs a license. A buyer that pays us is marked on its row, in line with the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, which say a material connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Fees never change a row’s order, tier or wording. The disclosure page has the full rules.
Corrections and replies
Anyone can report an error, and every listed company can add a dated reply to its row. The methodology explains how rows are checked and how we fix what is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs Data Licensing Index?
AC0 AI, S.L.U. publishes the index. David Persson is the editor and is responsible for every row, the methodology and replies to listed companies. You can reach the editor at hello@datalicensingindex.com.
Does Data Licensing Index buy or sell company data?
No. We never receive, store, transfer or resell a company’s data. We publish the index and, when a company asks, introduce it to the buyers it chooses.
How is Data Licensing Index funded?
From referral fees that buyers pay when a company we introduced signs a license. A buyer that pays us is marked on its row and named to you before an introduction. Fees never change a row’s order, tier or wording, and sellers pay nothing.
Can a listed company correct its row?
Yes. Send the row, the field and a link to a primary source to hello@datalicensingindex.com. Listed companies can also add a short dated reply. The methodology page sets out response times.