[Openstreetmap] Borough boundary
Lester Caine
lester at lsces.co.uk
Mon Oct 3 14:09:43 BST 2005
SteveC wrote:
> I've spoken to two lawyers about the legality of that, and the Royal
> Mail feeling they own any postcode database. Neither of them thought
> it'd be likely they would win.
This is a very grey area, but the Royal Mail *DO* acknowledge that they
can have no control over databases of address information that USE
postcodes where that information HAS been entered independently! In my
own case, the data is taken from existing customer information and there
is no requirement that licence fees have to be paid to Royal Mail. At
least that is what I am told every time I have to prove it to the
customer. I think the view is that postcode is similar to town and
county names - no one 'owns' them?
The idea of licensing THEIR copies of that data covers the cost of
maintaining the full PAF file updates, with all the valid postal
addresses, and if you cancel your licence and maintain the data
yourself, there is no requirement to delete the data you have already
paid for! At least again THAT is what I have been told.
The 'RAW' postcodes are NOT something that they - apparently - CAN
insist on control of. But I would still like to see a proper statement
from Royal Mail, as while I have asked about this several times I never
get past the Customer Service Desk - since there is nothing they can
sell me ;)
--
Lester Caine
-----------------------------
L.S.Caine Electronic Services
Treasurer - Firebird Foundation Inc.
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