[OSM-talk] Australia has Google Street View!

Simon Hewison simon at zymurgy.org
Tue Aug 5 11:53:37 BST 2008


wer-ist-roger wrote:
> Hello Stefan,
> 
>> Interesting question. Are we allowed to use street view images for
>> mapping (filling in street names, amenities, house numbers) or do we
>> need explicit permission like for aerial images?
> 
> If your not sure about the legal aspect DON'T use it!
> And from my point of few it is not allowed to use Googles photos.

And if Google were partly evil (though they claim not to be), they might alter 
their image obfuscating code (to blur people's faces etc) to identify street 
name signs, and transpose one street sign onto another, and create an easter 
egg in their creative work.

Since they already claim to have the ability to blur vehicle registration 
plates, and people's faces, if this needs even a little human intervention to 
achieve, then it could be counted as a creative work, and subject to not only 
database right (the geolocation / rectification work of the images), and 
copyright on the eventual image that has has processing done on it.

So. I wouldn't trust it, and I wouldn't use it, unless Google can explicitly 
say we're allowed to do it, and if Google can explicitly say that they're not 
doctoring the bits of the images that we're interested in - like street names, 
building names and so on)

-- 
SImon Hewison




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