[OSM-legal-talk] The big license debate

[Laurence Penney]

Perhaps it would be helpful to set out what should happen when someone 
contacts OSM, asking if they can use the data in a particular way.

Here are some options:

1. We shrug, and say get a lawyer to read the license.
2. Steve says yes or no.
3. Certain OSM Foundation guardians vote yes or no.
4. The OSM community votes yes or no.

I'd be interested to hear what other people's ideal might be.

IMO it is a fantasy to think that the license-conformity of most 
organizations' intended usage will typically be clear. We need a slick 
procedure for answering usage legality queries without consulting a 
lawyer each time.

It is also a fantasy to think the license will be considered in 
isolation by users, contributors, or by lawyers involved in any OSM 
legal case. I suspect the front page text, quoted earlier by Robert 
(Jamie) Munro, will have considerable force in undermining clauses in 
the CC-BY-SA license.

-- Laurence