[OSM-talk] Google WMS: is this legal?

[John Smith]

On 30 March 2010 21:53, simone gadenz <s.gadenz at geologyx.it> wrote:
> I dropped the message to the list because for me was obvious the service was violating the term of Google's license but i was not sure it was illegal. In any case I was worried of the implication for the OSM. Can this service be a problem for the OSM community and in case Is OSM able to cope with this situation to avoid future lawsuits?

Some think copying names from a street directory might be harmful to
OSM, but because copyright and other laws around the world aren't
harmonised there is no black and white answer to this, nor will there
ever be, what is legal or allowed now may not in a year from now.

Some people however take a very hard line on what may cause harm to
OSM, for example I was told I wasn't able to use google maps for
navigation purposes while collecting GPS traces, but this makes as
much sense as anyone using a street directory for navigation is
violating copyright.