[OSM-legal-talk] ODbL: How obscure/inaccessible can published algorithms be?

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

Matt Amos wrote:
> let's assume it's known that this company is definitely using OSM data
> - determining that can be difficult, depending on exactly what it is
> they're doing with the data. in general, it's very difficult to do
> anything directly from the planet file alone, so i'd suspect that any
> company doing anything with OSM data has a derived database of some
> kind and, if there's no offer evident on their site, i'd contact them
> about it.

I think it would be great to have some standardised "declaration form" 
that we could point people to. Not something that people are forced to 
use, but something they *can* use as an easy way to help them play by 
the terms of the license if they want. Something like this:

                     ------------------------------

This site publicly uses data derived from OpenStreetMap.

Description of derived data: .......................................

[ ] We are making the derived data available

     [ ] here: .......................
         in the following format: .....................
         on a regular basis, licensed under the ODbL.
     [ ] on request; please contact ..................

[ ] We are making a "diff" file available that allows you to arrie at 
the derived data if you have a recent OpenStreetMap database,

     [ ] here: ........................
         in the following format: .....................
         on a regular basis, licensed under the ODbL.
     [ ] on request; please contact ..................

[ ] We are providing a machine-readable description of the algorithm
used to arrive at the derived data,

     [ ] here: ........................
     [ ] on request; please contact ..................


                     ------------------------------

Another idea, again entirely voluntarily, would be to set up a register 
of organisations using OpenStreetMap data, where they could create an 
account and make the above declarations. If we sell that well, with a 
"wizard" kind of user interface that guides them through their 
obligations regarding ODbL, then many people would probably use it 
because it makes everything simpler for them. The über cool thing about 
this is that we'd get a list of OSM-using people for free ;-)

Bye
Frederik