[OSM-legal-talk] proprietary data formats and ODbL

[Ulf Möller]

I've been talking to a navigation device maker who want to make OSM maps 
available to their customers when OSM switches to ODbL. Their devices 
use a special data format that they can't or don't want to disclose.

I think their map would be a Derivative Database under ODbL (it is 
routable, so it's not a produced work), so my understanding is they can 
make this file available under ODbL as long as there are no 
technological measures that restrict the rights granted under the license.

The file is not encrypted and they don't use any DRM, but of course the 
map can only be used on their type of devices (just as a gmapsupp.img 
can only be used on Garmins), and of course without a specification of 
the file format it's going to be very difficult to make any changes to it.

Any other views on this?