[OSM-legal-talk] Fwd: Re: [OSM-talk] OSM layer into Adobe Illustrator?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Hm. This was meant to go to legal-talk, but I'm a numpty. Mea culpa,  
mea maxima culpa.

Richard

----- Forwarded message from richard at systemeD.net -----
     Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:07:52 +0000
  Subject: Re: [OSM-talk] OSM layer into Adobe Illustrator?
       To: talk at openstreetmap.org

OJW wrote:

> Totally agree. It's the whole "popularity is everything, don't worry about
> principles" argument, that free software people have been having since
> forever.
>
> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/copyleft.html

With respect, though, it isn't wholly the same argument.

You can use GPLed software to produce your own copyrighted works. If
you draw a map with (say) Inkscape, which is copyleft, there's nothing
to require that your map should be copyleft.

You can't use CC-SA data to produce your own copyrighted works. If you
draw a map with OSM data, which is also copyleft, your whole map is
required to be copyleft.

This is why there's a school of thought that says OSM could have a
more appropriate copyleft licence, which says:

- You may copy and distribute this geodata, or a work based on it,
provided that you accompany it with the complete geodata source for
the full work - or a written offer to give any third party this
complete source.
- Apart from this, you may do what the hell you like with it.
- (Plus an attribution requirement.)

The advantages are:

- More geodata for OSM. (At present, if you combine OSM data with
other data to make a map, you don't have to make the other data
available – just the finished map. Since OSM would prefer to have the
data than the finished maps, it's a bit of a hollow victory.)
- Works well in ITN-type cases.
- Attribution requirement can be used to ensure licence compatibility
with other open/free licences.

Disadvantages:

- Still needs a decision about 'deriving points' (as per Jamie's
npemap postings).
- Will not satisfy those who think all art should be copyleft.

As you know, I'm a pretty fervent PD advocate and would far prefer OSM
to adopt full PD. But I can see "better copyleft" as being a realistic
and achievable solution for us and for other open data projects.

cheers
Richard