<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:14pt"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 14pt;"><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">>> Please don't use Google Maps when doing OSM. It's just not worth the risk.<br>><br>>I understand that this is a safe and wise rule, but as Wikimedia<br>>Commons' site suggests (and Nic's reply, commenting on talk-legal<br>>discussions), there may be a fair use (or fair dealing) for rectifying<br>>the location of an object this way.<br><br>The concept of fair use is something which differs from one jurisdiction to another. Here in the UK for example, we have no fair use rights at all. Even ripping a CD to your PC and downloading it to a portable music player is technically not something you have a right to do, although in this
case any copyright owner who tried to sue a user for doing so would be completely mad. Whilst fair use may be used as a defence for rectifying data using Google Maps in the USA, it would not be a valid defence in the UK or a number of other jurisdictions. Just go out with a GPS to take an accurate position, or use another data source that we have a right to use.<br><br>After all, the fun of openstreetmap.org is creating our own map, using our own tools (such as our feet, bicycles and GPS-enabled gadgets). I do use the yahoo imagery when there is no alternative, but it's better to have a legally-clean (but not quite complete) map which still allows someone the fun of completing it, than one which people can't use with confidence because they're not sure of its legality.<br><br>Donald<br></div></div></div><br>
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