[Openstreetmap] Sources for attributing maps

[Alex Willmer]

(My last mail for now)

I'd like to clarify the best sources for attribution such as:

-Street names
-Junction numbers and names
-Zoning (ie town/city limits, national parks)

Did OS or local councils hold anything on street names in the early 50s?
Is it necessary to rely on what local libraries hold for mapping from 
that period, does anything prevent us getting out of copyright maps 
direct from OS under the Freedom of Information Act?

 From a previous reply (by Amaury Jacquet), to my questions:

> What data, if any, can we avoid gathering on the ground (eg points of
> interest, street names, road designations, urban/rural land designation)?


designations are not copyrightable.

I'm unsure what the implications of this are. Is a street name copyrightable?
If so from where is it permissable to source street names and junction names/numbers, in the UK, for use in openstreetmap (eg signs on the ground, out of copyright maps, in copyright maps)?

Again I'd like to summarise any responses in the wiki.

Thanks for your advice

Alex