[OSM-dev] Licence of the Mapnik style?

[Mike Dupont]

On Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 11:32 PM, Sven Geggus
<lists at fuchsschwanzdomain.de>wrote:

> Cartinus <cartinus at xs4all.nl> wrote:
>
> > That would already be achieved with GPL. You don't need AGPL for that.
>
> You might be right. Given that the analogy is as follows:
> (mapnik=compiler, stylefile=sourcecode, tile=binary)
>
> Distributing tiles without stylefile would be like distributing
> binaries without sourcecode.
>

The source code of the map is the map data itself. Only rarely do the
styles *add* information to the map itself.  and that information added is
even more rarely something that cannot be easily replaced or rewritten. The
map data itself is a totally different story, it cannot be replaced easily.

The styles are more like inline functions that are expanded in the
compilation stage.
Here is a discussion on the linux kernel that covers clever and expressive
inline functions  http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2338142
and here
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/03/20/1529238/rms-on-header-files-and-derivative-works


"""That's not the FSF's view. Our view is that just using structure
definitions, typedefs, enumeration constants, macros with simple
bodies, etc., is NOT enough to make a derivative work. It would take
a substantial amount of code (coming from inline functions or macros
with substantial bodies) to do that. """
http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0301.1/0362.html

Of course the color and layout of the map might be considered a creative
expression itself and i did not cover that in my previous posting.
see this post on the issue of copying style :
http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2008/11/post_35.html

and this on the copyright of css :
http://b0x0rz.deviantart.com/journal/Is-CSS-Copyrightable-214148624
*"""First, a short answer to a question (for the impatient ones): "Is CSS
Copyrightable?"*
No. Absolutely NOT. (note: This is valid only for the CSS code itself not
any images it may reference.)"""

thanks

mike


> --

James Michael DuPont
Member of Free Libre Open Source Software Kosova http://flossk.org
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