[OSM-legal-talk] [OSM-talk] Public Domain

[Duncan Gibb]

Stephen Gower wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 04, 2007 at 10:00:02AM +0100, Richard Fairhurst wrote:

RF> I'd prefer it if it were all public domain anyway. :)

SG> I concur! [.] you can assert your own OSM contributions
SG> are in the Public Domain simply by adding {{PD-user}} to
SG> your user page on the wiki.

If I may shove in my two penneth here: I'm by no means a major
contributor to OSM (much though I would like to be), but in my mind
*the* major reason for the project to exist is to create and protect a
commons of geospatial information.

Of course if you want to, you're entitled to flag your work as public
domain.  However, I hope I'm not alone as someone whose inclination to
contribute depends on the sharealike/copyleft-style provisions in the
wisely-chosen default licence.

There's always infinite potential for lawyers to dance on pinheads, but
in reality I think it's usually clear to a reasonable person whether
something someone wants to do with OSM data creates a derivative work.
And where it is, CC-by-SA's inheritance properties are, IMHO, entirely
appropriate.


Duncan