[1] It is available in a variety of formats including FTP download and compact disc, and was previously available as digital audio tape.
As owner of the PAF, Royal Mail is required by section 116 of the Postal Services Act 2000 to maintain the data and make it available on reasonable terms.
Elements of the address, including the post town and postcode, are occasionally subject to change, reflecting the operational structure of the postal delivery system.
An example of typical internal use is an employee of a licensed call centre who uses a PAF-based solution to look up and verify customer addresses.
The original public sector licence was implemented on 1 April 2015, having been developed by Royal Mail, the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Scottish government.
The proposal to release it for use at low or no cost was rejected, and the business model where it was used to raise money from profitable corporations was retained.
[10] Following a government consultation,[11] on 1 April 2010 Ordnance Survey released co-ordinate data for all Great Britain postcodes (but not their address elements) for re-use free of charge under an attribution-only licence, as part of OS OpenData.