[OSM-talk] How is there not any creative-type (US) copyright in OSM data?

[Anthony]

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 6:42 AM, Brendan Morley <morb.gis at beagle.com.au>wrote:

> "Actually, I've decided I'm not going to release my data as PD. I prefer
> copyleft. I prefer CC-BY-SA. It keeps people from taking my data and
> incorporating it into data under more restrictive licenses. Like ODbL."
>
> I'm assuming this is your comment Anthony? (I'm starting to lose track of
> the thread).
>

Yes, it's mine.

OdbL is meant to be copyleft for source data, as far as I can now tell.
>

I have no idea what it's meant to be.

But what's the problem with people "incorporating it into data under more
> restrictive licenses"? The data under the original licence will (should!)
> still be made available, and competes with the data made available under the
> more restrictive licence.


There's not necessarily a problem.  And in certain circumstances, I'd
certainly be willing to grant individual licenses to people who are doing
things that I feel are positive (although, realistically, there are just too
many contributors for this to happen given current technologies).

My primary reason for not wanting to release my data as PD is that I don't
want to support OSM if it decides to go with the ODbL.  A street map
licensed under ODbL is not something I find worthy of my (uncompensated)
support, and the fact that the project would go from a street map licensed
under CC-BY-SA to a street map licensed under ODbL is enough to make me
actively opposed to it.  Hopefully there will be a fork, and I can
contribute my data to the fork instead.  If there is a fork, the more data
we have in the fork that isn't in OSM, the more likely it is to succeed.

I hope it doesn't come to that, and I still think there's a good chance it
won't, because once it becomes clear how much data is going to not be
relicensed due to people not responding, I think there's a chance the OSMF
membership will come to its senses.
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