[OSM-legal-talk] Paid services from OSM

[Simon Ward]

On Thu, Oct 09, 2008 at 08:05:23PM -0700, Mikel Maron wrote:
> If this were about code, the belief would be that every time someone compiled that code into running software, that binary would need to be freely available. Clearly not the reasonable thing for software. But you would have this for data?

I’d rather those providing the PostGIS data be obliged to provide their
source (planet dumps, whatever) to the same people.

Imagine you were in some place without Internet access and I gave you a
DVD containing OSM data imported for use in some software (we’re not
necessarily talking about free software, this could be proprietary).
All you can do is use that software.  You spot a couple of mistakes, and
would like to change it.

The software doesn’t let you do that, and this mere translated format is
unknown to you, and most certainly not a preferred form for
modification.  Wouldn’t it be great if you had access to the OSM
database that was imported?  Thanks to some attribution you know where
it is, but you don’t have Internet access.  You should be able to
request the source from your provider.

If this were about code, and the code was GPL provided in binary form,
the source would either be available on the same medium, or a written
offer to provide the source on request.

The example was convoluted, but I hope it illustrates my point that mere
translation should not be excluded from being counted as a derived
database.

(I really hope nobody goes around distributing such rubbish sounding
proprietary software using OSM data to people in tight corners (this may
be charged for, remember).)
-- 
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that works.—John Gall
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