[OSM-legal-talk] Tracing from Aerial Imagery

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

    this question is directed at those that were present during the 
questions session following Ed Parsons' talk at this year's SOTM.

If I remember correctly, Ed had just explained that Google needed to buy 
extra "tracing licenses" for aerial imagery to be used in Map Maker, and 
that these licenses were more expensive than the ordinary "display 
licenses".

Someone then said that Google Earth already has a built-in feature to 
trace from *any* Google imagery, and why that was allowed when Google 
didn't have those licenses.

And in response Ed made a distinction that I had not heard in all those 
"aerieal imagery tracing" discussions. If I remember correctly, he said 
(more or less): As long as you trace something with which you have a 
personal relation - e.g. a bike route that you actually travelled, or 
the house that you live in - it's ok. It starts to become "not ok" only 
when you begin large-scale tracing of terrain that you have no personal 
relationship with.

Question 1 - is that what Ed said? And question 2 - does it make sense, 
legally? And question 3 - so I am allowed to trace my house, and my 
neighbour's, and my workplace, and the bakery I visit every morning, and 
my birthplace, and my parent's house...?

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00'09" E008°23'33"