[OSM-legal-talk] [OSM-talk] Users whose contributions are in the public domain

[Nic Roets]

> I really would like to see a license as simple as the following:
>
> For data users -
> 0. Open Street Map collects and creates public domain map data.
> 1. Attribution of Open Street Map is expected. We make it easy.
> 2. Contributing back or freely sharing modifications is strongly
> encouraged.
>
> For map editors -
> 1. Only add essentially uncopyrighted map data.
> 2. You are welcome join the list of contributors.

I know you mean to move the issue forward, but what you are proposing
isn't really a license, more like a guide. (A license can't contain
vague statements like  "is expected" and "strongly encouraged" or
insist that you abide by the law e.g. "only add")

Furthermore, you must realize that attribution can come without being
required by the license, e.g. through the media. In fact many
wikipedians argue that attribution is more or less guaranteed in the
age of search engines.

Daniel J. Bernstein recently placed much of his software in the Public
Domain, because he argued that even a simple attribution clause (BSD)
can become an obstacle.