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

[Andrew MacKinnon]

On Nov 18, 2007 6:10 AM, Nick Whitelegg <nick at hogweed.org> wrote:
> On Sunday 18 Nov 2007 10:49, Nick Black wrote:
> > On Nov 16, 2007 10:42 AM, Steve Coast <steve at asklater.com> wrote:
> > > * Asking people living on a street what its name is when there is no
> > > road sign.
> >
> > I'm guessing this is so that hoards of OSM people don't start door
> > knocking, which I believe is illegal without a permit in the UK.  Or
> > is this because the person you ask might be quoting for a copyrighted
> > source?
>
> 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)

How is this any different from copying the name of a street from a
street sign? The name on the street sign was likely originally derived
from a copyrighted OS map, but like one's knowledge, facts aren't
copyrightable. If we want to ban asking residents for street names we
would have to ban looking at street signs too.