[Openstreetmap] Talking about Licences

[Lester Caine]

On the subject of licences - I have just had fun today with a question 
about UK Postcodes. We have gone live with a new client management 
system site, and I've populated their postcode table with old raw data 
to get them started. They are expected to update the information as 
required, and most sites end up changing area and 'estate' details to 
match LOCAL usage.

The problem was a request to see the 'licence' to use POSTCODE ( 
actually from a developer on another system in the office - which has 
yet to be completed - but that's another story ;) )

Just to be on the safe side, I checked back with Royal Mail, and as I 
had already previously established, the same statement came back. That 
you do not need a licence to use POSTCODE. I could buy a set of data 
from them, with a years worth of updates ( academic for POSTCODE since 
the updates are free anyway! ) and just carry on using them - if we are 
maintaining the data ourselves.

The problem seems to be PAF data, which *IS* licensable, and really 
requires the updates to maintain it's accuracy. But even that seems to 
have a grey area regarding on-going use?

Form my own point of view, I prefer to work with data captured from the 
local systems - i.e. an existing client database, and store the POSTCODE 
as a separate table. This has resulted in an archive of postcode data 
that is almost complete, and from which I build other tables. I've 
augmented that with the free Postcode Updates and even manually entered 
data where gaps caused a problem. (London does not include AREAS in the 
postcode data which was a pain).

*SO* since I do not intend to supply this information in a commercial 
format - charge for it - Does anybody have a take in whether I am doing 
anything wrong, or *DO* I need a licence to use my own data?

-- 
Lester Caine
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L.S.Caine Electronic Services