[OSM-legal-talk] Using OSM data, to generate game worlds. How does the license apply to projects like this?

[Christoph Hormann]

On Thursday 11 February 2021, darkdanube wrote:
> > If you want to make sure to minimize what you give back to the OSM
>
> community for using their data then the advice Kathleen gave...
>
> That is not what I mean, and that makes me look very selfish. I would
> like to contribute back to the OSM, what is reasonable. [...]

I am sorry if i came across in a misleading way - i did not mean to
imply that you did not want to contribute back or weasel around the
rules, these were hypothetical scenarios to illustrate the different
options.

As said - nothing in the ODbL will ever force you to open source a game
using OSM data, at most you will need to release data you generate and
process in combination with OSM data.

> I
> don't understand how could I contribute to OSM by making game maps
> and 3D models freely available.

The share-alike requirement of the ODbL is not specifically designed to
benefit OSM.  The basic philosophy behind it is that if you combine OSM
data with other data to create a data set that represents additional
value compared to the sum of its parts that data set should be made
available under an open license as well.  If that additional value in
the data provides a direct benefit back to OSM (allowing information to
be integrated back into the OSM database for example) is not the
criterion (although in the used example of building heights it
evidently could).  If this is a good thing or not, if it would have
been better to limit share-alike to cases where data could actually be
fed back into OSM or if it is a good idea that the ODbL is viral and
spreads the idea of open data so to speak is obviously something where
people have different opinions on.

--
Christoph Hormann
https://www.imagico.de/