[OSM-legal-talk] legal-talk Digest, Vol 93, Issue 1

[Paulo Carvalho]

Here in Brazil software is covered by copyright law, not patent law,
meaning that computer programs are treated like books, movies, etc.
Furthermore, registration is not required for authorship.  Any means
proving that someone created some piece of art or other intellectual work
(computer software included) at a given date is legal evidence.  An example
is a registered mail sent to oneself prior to any claims or even
registration and opened before the judge will legally assure you authorship.

Also, I am pretty sure segmentation algorithms are out there much before
such patent application.


2014-06-04 9:00 GMT-03:00 <legal-talk-request at openstreetmap.org>:

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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Google awarded patent on automatic correction of road
>       geometry from imagery (Michael Collinson)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:26:46 +0200
> From: Michael Collinson <mike at ayeltd.biz>
> To: "OSM Licensing and other legal discussions."
>         <legal-talk at openstreetmap.org>
> Subject: [OSM-legal-talk] Google awarded patent on automatic
>         correction of road geometry from imagery
> Message-ID: <538EE656.6070206 at ayeltd.biz>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"
>
> This comes to me via Simon Poole, so the OSMF board is aware.
>
>
> http://apb.directionsmag.com/entry/google-patent-updating-map-data-using-satellite-imagery/402398?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr
>
> http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/8731305
>
> The invention claimed is a "A computer-implemented method" so I am not
> sure scan-reading the patent whether that includes humans looking at
> digital imagery and making db corrections via computer. If so, then
> obviously (our) prior art is going to blow this apart. If not, then
> anyone working on automated road detection algorithms should be aware.
>
> Interestingly, if you scroll down through the patent itself, you'll see
> that they specifically mention correcting US TIGER data.
>
> Mike
>
> *Abstract*
>
> Map data are overlaid on satellite imagery. A road segment within the
> map data is identified, and the satellite imagery indicates that the
> road segment is at a different geographic position than a geographic
> position indicated by the map data. The endpoints of the road segment in
> the map data are aligned with the corresponding positions of the
> endpoints in the satellite imagery. A road template is applied at an
> endpoint of the road segment in the satellite imagery, and the angle of
> the road template that matches the angle of the road segment indicated
> by the satellite imagery is determined by optimizing a cost function.
> The road template is iteratively shifted along the road segment in the
> satellite imagery. The geographic position of the road segment within
> the map data is updated responsive to the positions and angles of the
> road template.
>
>
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