[OSM-talk] [OSM-legal-talk] OSMF - OSM usage guidelines

[Charles Basenga Kiyanda]

> I think one could tell that though - if they have to look it up on an Ordnance 
> Survey map that would be the case, but if they don't, it wouldn't. Also 
> brings up that question about whether the OS hold copyright on people's 
> learning (if I learnt the name of something on an OS map in 1981, does the OS 
> still hold copyright on my knowledge of it? I'd presume common sense would 
> say no)
>
> Nick
>   
If I understand correctly copyright law (and I'm more aware of US and 
Canadian laws), facts are not copyrightable, only a particular 
expression of those facts. So if you read a map to look up the name of a 
street, nobody should be able to stop you from using the fact that the 
name of the street is XYZ. What you can't do is copy the visual 
appearance of the map, font, word placement, etc. I don't believe any 
law has the right to stop you from learning something from a copyrighted 
work.

Charles