[OSM-legal-talk] Question about copyrighted hiking routes in France

[Eric Sibert]

> On what basis do they claim ownership of the routes, exactly? As I
> understand it, many of these routes link up lots of little trails that
> had been around for decades. How did copyright get transferred from
> the people who created the trails to the FFRP? Or do they claim
> ownership only over new sections? Or only over a particular
> representation?

They established a route that for instance allows to from city A to  
city B but not with the short way. Instead, it is going left and right  
to visit points of interest, alpine hutch and so on. They claim that  
such a work is an original work.

For a comparison, I would say it is like a tourist car route. The  
"castle route" (or usually wine routes in France ;-) is using existing  
roads (national, local...) to visit a maximum castles. Along the  
route, you will find signpost marked "castle route".

Eric