[OSM-talk] License

[Robert (Jamie) Munro]

rob at robmyers.org wrote:
> Quoting "Robert (Jamie) Munro" <rjmunro at arjam.net>:
> 
>> Please can we let NPEmaps use OSM as a background for selecting
>> postcodes? Currently, they want their postcodes to be public domain, and
>> are afraid that by using our maps, the postcodes become CC-by-sa. We
>> need to stop this silliness ASAP.
> 
> If I choose a set of co-ordinates from an OS map, my work does not become a
> derivative of that OS map. This fear seems unfounded.
> 
>> What will it take to get the license changed?
>>
>> Can we change the T&Cs for editors on the web site right now so that all
>> new data has a "you give the foundation a non-exclusive license to do
>> whatever they want with your data. They promise, at a minimum, to make
>> it available under CC-by-NA, but may make it available under additional
>> licenses in future",
> 
> This is a good idea in practical terms (a better licence than SA could become
> popular that is incompatible with it) but a bad idea in project terms (people
> will not trust such an open-ended grant when the licensing of a project is
> undecided ideologically).

If the foundation has a clear mission statement, and a democratic
framework, people will trust it. If anyone would actually be unhappy
with this (as opposed to thinking that someone else might be unhappy),
please speak up now.

This is exactly what MusicBrainz does with their data, and the
foundation actually receives income from several commercial partners who
need different licenses. I think OSM may not be viable in the long term
if it doesn't have more rights over it's data.

>> then add a thing which gets existing users to agree
>> to this license change. Once we have most of the users agreed, we
>> reassess our position, try to track down missing users, then delete
>> their data if we can't find them. We'll soon be able to add the data back.
> 
> Copyright assignment might be a more robust way of doing this.

I deliberately didn't choose copyright assignment. If I give OSM some
data I have gathered for some other project, I don't want them to
dictate that I can't use it for that other project without the other
project becoming CC-by-sa. Copyright assignment would imply that.

Robert (Jamie) Munro

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