Does EXIN get any Scrum copyrights from Scrum (Ken & Jeff)?

I've never heard it, but looking at their website sends up some red flags. 



1 hour 30 minutes for a 40 multiple choice questions, with a pass mark of 65 percent. 



This does not seem like it creates anything approaching a high bar of knowledge. 



"mandatory training" is the thing that always makes me weary and smells like the whole certification pyramid scheme. 



Also, reading their documentation on: https://dam.exin.com/api/&request=asset.permadownload&id=5087&type=this…





The introduction is a poorly reworded SAFe training intro. 



And there are plenty of lines that make me raise an eyebrow:



"The only certification program which combines both agnostic Agile principles and the Scrum framework, for maximum relevancy;"



"Developed together with industry experts and supported by one of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto;"



"Most of the other skills mentioned in Deloitte’s model also have a strong link with Agile"





So yeah, I may be going in expecting the worst and having a bias, but nothing there makes me think this looks like a high quality alternative to existing certifications. 

Ask everyone, what do you think of this strange phenomenon?

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a strange phenomenon. There are many places where you can get a certification that has the words Scrum Master in it.  And every person that works for those companies think theirs are the best.  This has been a problem since the Manifesto for agile software development was created and the noun Agile was created for commercial purposes.  Companies will try to cash in on a concept and claim their products are the best. 

I won't say that their certification is bad.  I will just say that I do not put much faith in any certification for Scrum that is not deeply rooted in the Scrum Guide and has a low threshold for completion.  Having said that I also don't feel that having a certification means you know more about the topic.  I have obtained all of my certifications for my own benefit as I see them as a way for me to confirm my understanding.  But as with all things, empiricism means that everything I knew at the time I completed my certifications has or will change. 

I've got the EXIN Agile Scrum Foundation (ASF) certificate, issued in November 2015.



I won't ever do the EXIN Agile Scrum Master or the EXIN Agile Scrum Product Owner because

a) EXIN does not have affiliation with Jeff Sutherland or Ken Schwaber, so they are a 3rd party certificate provider.

b) Classes are mandatory for SM or PO certification.

c) PSM I and PSPO I exist.

So why did I go at that time for the Exin ASF certificate?

a) The 2015 EXIN ASF exam followed the content of the version 4 Scrum Guide (2013)

b) The exam wasn't too easy, yes it was easier than the Scrum.org's standard exam would have been if they had a foundation certificate, but from experience I can say that you needed to know and understand Scrum to pass EXIN's exam.

c) EXIN certification has ties with the Dutch educational goverment department, which means that there can be ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) earned that are transferabel towards higher education.

d) There aren't any "Scrum foundation" certificates on the market from the big 3 (org, inc, alliance) for the ITers that want to have some proof that they have a grasp of Scrum, yet don't want to commit to Scrum Master certs.

e) Their weren't mandatory classes needed as a prerequest to do the ASF cert.

f) The ASF has got a good reputation among employers in the BeNeLux.



Conclusion:

The Exin ASF fills a void for the (West-European) ITer that wants to proof that they understand Scrum, but aren't interested in ever becoming a SM. The certs are ECTS credited and have a good reputation among employers in the BeNeLux, but don't invest time or money in ASM or ASPO, since PSM, PSPO, RSM, RSPO, CSM and CSPO already exist.