[OSM-talk] Is it a temporary file or Derivative Database under ODbL

[Paul Houle]

  On 6/21/2011 4:20 PM, Frederik Ramm wrote:
>
> We have a specalist mailing list, legal-talk, to discuss these matters.
>
> However, in this particular question you are unlikely to find a firm 
> answer, given that the question whether temporary files constitute a 
> proper manifestation of data or are just an implementation detail of 
> an algorithm is something that lots of lawyers are discussing (see 
> current cases about streaming media and if consumers need a copyright 
> license).
>
     I try to stay out of this argument,  but I'd advise everyone to 
carefully read the text above,  and then read it again.

     If I wanted to spend my time talking to lawyers (and could afford 
it) I'd be building applications with Teleatlas and similar data 
sources.  There's no end to the involvement of lawyers,  salespersons 
and other parasites there.

     People who want to build applications gravitate towards open data 
precisely because they can escape this BS and be engineers.

     Fred has just made a brilliant explanation of why the license 
change is an attempt of the OSMF to commit suicide.  Ten years from 
now,  OSM may well be like Usenet or DOS,  fondly remembered but part of 
the past.  It didn't have to be this way,  and frankly,  the same effect 
of the license change could have been had by just deleting all the 
data,  selling the servers,  and letting the domain names expire and be 
bought by domainers -- except this way people are going to keep wasting 
their time on a project that's been failed.