Q: We thought that limited access meant a restricted number of users. However, it appears that it in fact means the total number of records that would be downloaded. Is this correct?

The internet portal we are building is a subscription-based website covering emerging markets. In the first two-years of operation we are forecasting approx. 2,500 users. I do not anticipate that these users would download anywhere near the 20 million record limit, because the comtrade data is only one supplementary component of the entire service.

However, I do not want to place restrictions on user downloading or violate the terms of use for Comtrade data. Therefore, can you please clarify the following points?

1. Do we require the open access license, which I assume is for unlimited record dissemination? If so, can you please specify what the total cost would be for the 6 million and 18 million record options that you have outlined below?

2. Does this license include the tariff information that I indicated in my previous message? If not, can you please specify the cost for this data?

3. Is this a one time fee?

A: I will try to clarify the points made by you:

a) Restricted access has to do with restrictions to who can obtain access to your database. First of all, access would need to be on a subscription basis. In addition, you would need to make the case, that your audience is not the general public, but a specific user group

b) Your Site License subscription gives you download access to all UN Comtrade records. Data are made available to you for internal use. The Site License subscription is valid for one year.

c) If you obtain the right for re-dissemination of 20 million records, this means that during 12 months, you can make up to 20 million records available on your website. We are not counting how many records are downloaded from your website. Only the number of records made available on your website are of concern for the re-dissemination fee.

d) Suppose that you make 18 million records available on your website during the 12 months. These 18 million records can stay on your website after 12 months, and you would not have to pay an additional fee. However, if you make new data available in the period following the first 12 months, then you need again to obtain the right to re-disseminate UN Comtrade data.
UN Comtrade does not include Tariff information. Tariff information can be obtained from the TRAINS database http://r0.unctad.org/trains/) which is nicely integrated into the WITS software (see http://wits.worldbank.org/witsweb/default.aspx), which also contains UN Comtrade data. For access to Comtrade data via WITS, you will need a subscription to UN Comtrade data.

Q: We are developing an business portal on emerging economies in developing countries and would like to license comtrade data for use on the site. We have reviewed your "Policy on re-disseminating of Comtrade data" and the accompanying subscription schedules. Based on our understanding of what a record constitutes, we would like to obtain pricing for you on the following:

Reporters:       132 Countries (G-77)
Commodities:   5000 (All commodities covered in the database)
Years:             3 (The three most recent)
Trade Flows:    3 (Import, Export, Re-export)
Partners:         9 (World and all G-8 countries)

Tariffs: In addition, you appear to have tariff information. Is this available by commodity as well? If so, we would like to include it for all 132 countries, across all 5000 commodities for the latest year it is available.

By our calculations this information would total approximately 53,460,000 records. According to your subscription pricing terms any request over 20,000,000 must be done on a case by case basis. The site we are developing is designed to promote trade and investment in emerging economies of developing countries. Based on the scenarios outlined in the table in your document entitled "Royalty Fee Scheme", our site would be classified as being offered with "limited access" and "for a fee."

Can you please provide an estimate as to what our cost would be?

A: We investigated the actual amount of data records involved in your query and came to about 6 million based on the following criteria:

Selected classification: HS1992
Selected commodities: All
Selected reporters: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep., Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dem. People's Rep. of Korea, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, FS Micronesia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Dem. Rep., Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Isds, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Occ. Palestinian Terr., Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Isds, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Rep. of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe (Total of 80)
Selected years: 2002,2003,2004
Selected partners: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, USA, World
Selected trade flows: Import, Export, Re-Export

If you take all partners, instead of just the G-8 it would amount to around 18 million records.

Therefore, your request would fall within the existing royalty fee scheme. Your dissemination would qualify for "limited access", if you could give the criteria which you use to filter your audience.

In conclusion, we could setup your subscription plus right of re-dissemination on an annual basis, which would carry a cost of US$ 5,000 for your Site License plus US$ 25,000 for your right to re-disseminate up to 20 million records, subject to the decision if your access qualifies as "limited access".