[OSM-legal-talk] moving up the stack

Frederik Ramm frederik at remote.org
Wed Mar 7 16:03:52 GMT 2007


Hi,

> If someone ends up with a map derived from OSM work that they have  
> reduced
> freedom to use then freedom has been lost, and this is harmful.

I don't subscribe to that view. Nothing that was possible before  
isn't possible anymore, so I see no loss.

> OSM as a database on a server hasn't suffered, but OSM's aims have.

That's only because you have formulated OSM's aims too broadly. At  
the very same time, you suggest that someone who cannot use OSM data  
should buy data instead. If OSM's aims are hurt whenever a non-free  
map is produced, then OSM's aims are hurt just the same, whether that  
map is produced from licensed data or from OSM data.

> What would your proposed use add to OSM?

At the very least: Widespread use and popularity, or "market share"  
if you will. But more likely, in addition to that, a lot of quality  
work on the data that would be shared back.

> And what would it produce that someone couldn't simply reproduce  
> from the same data and charge less for than your version?

A book is not just a string of letters. A map is not just computer- 
generated data. The cartographer selects data, highlights aspects of  
particular importance, chooses fonts, colours, a scale and  
projection, styles, judges the overall look and feel, makes  
adjustments... the cartographer is at the very least a craftsman, and  
sometimes surely an artist.

I'm totally in favour of anyone reproducing anything he wants from  
OSM data and selling it for whatever price he deems appropriate. If  
the cartographer produces nothing better than can simply be generated  
from the database, nobody will buy his stuff. If he is really good,  
then his work, and not the data, are the reason people fork out  
money. If it were only for the data, they'd get that free of charge  
from Google.

> The art is a rendering of the data, cannot be made without it, and
> contains its information.

True.

> It basically is data,

A website "basically is data", and still it may incorporate OSM data  
without being subject to the OSM license. That's because it is a  
"different kind of data". All the cartographer asks for is the  
recognition that his work produces a "different kind of data" than  
the OSM stuff he uses.


> The aim of OSM is for everyone to be able to use the data (including
> visual renderings of the data). If an instance of the data  
> (including artistic
> renderings of it)

Those "including..."s are disputed.

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00.09' E008°23.33'






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