2010/1/5 Richard Colless <[email protected]>: > The issue of copying names from a street directory is very similar. The > publishers of the directory hold copyright over the graphic layout of the > map, but they cannot hold copyright over the street names themselves. Those
That's assuming what they printed is correct, mapping companies have lots of errors in their maps, some errors are intentional to catch copyright infringements. Only councils (or developers or the street signs) would actually have original authoritative information on the street names. > names are in the public domain. If you look up a street name in the > directory, then you now know that name. If you then use it to name a street The Telstra case of their copyright on white pages here would be relevant, and to a lesser extent from what I understand the IceTV ruling, however unless you are willing to personally fund an OSM defence fund why risk everyone else's work over it? > So if all you need is street names,use whatever published source you wish. > Just make sure that you only get street names. And whatever you do, don't > advertise it, or discuss it in forums. There are always some smart-arse > lawyers out there, and none of us really needs to defend our actions in > court, even though there is a strong legal basis to do so. Even by suggesting this you are risking legal action by the very same lawyers. _______________________________________________ Talk-au mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-au
