[OSM-legal-talk] Which legislation applies: server or data location?

Ian Sergeant inas66+osm at gmail.com
Tue Aug 27 06:50:34 UTC 2013


On 27 August 2013 12:04, Fernando Trebien <fernando.trebien at gmail.com> wrote:

> Amidst hard questions in the Brazilian community, I've been wondering
> which copyright legislation should apply to OpenStreetMap's data (in
> the case of suspicious data imports): that of where the data is stored
> and provided from (seems to be from the UK right now) or that of where
> the data refers to? Or both? Or some other international law?

OSM has to obey the laws in the country where it operates.  Data
shouldn't contributed to the server in the UK that would be in breach
of UK law.

Contributors should obey the laws of the jurisdictions in which they
reside, or are otherwise obliged to obey.

Local mapping communities should be able to reach a consensus about
contributions that may (for legal reasons) reduce the utility of using
the maps in that jurisdiction. This will always be a measured
discussion, depending on the particular circumstances.  My personal
contribution to any such discussion would be that imports that are
contrary to local laws that can be substituted legally by other data,
survey or otherwise, should not be accepted.

Ian.



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