[OSM-legal-talk] Privacy and Terms

[Ed Avis]

Matt Amos <zerebubuth at ...> writes:

>the "personal use only" stuff comes into the "terms of service". you
>don't need to agree - it's simply a statement by OSMF that the site is
>intended for personal use and that any non-personal use of the site
>may result in service being withdrawn.

Hmm.  I guess not being a lawyer I misunderstood.  But it hardly seems
necessary to say such a thing - it's not as if OSMF has agreed to provide
uninterrupted service in the first place, or, indeed, that anyone using the
site for personal use is guaranteed that the site will work.

For us non-lawyers, it would clarify things to have a paragraph at the top
saying 'these terms of service are not something you need to agree to, they
are simply a statement by the OSMF of how we will try to run our website'
would solve the problem.

>to make this very, very clear: we're not proposing the privacy policy
>and terms of service because we're evil, or we're excited by long and
>boring legal documents or even that we're anticipating a clear threat.
>we're doing it **because our lawyer is recommending it**.

I do think that lawyers can get a bit out of control if you don't keep them
on a short leash, but do whatever you have to, I guess.  Just make sure that
site visitors aren't caught in the crossfire, and do not end up having to agree
(explicitly or implicitly) to waive some of their rights.

-- 
Ed Avis <eda at waniasset.com>