Hi Richard, Responding now in my capacity as Geomatics Analyst for Yukon Department of Environment and the person responsible for posting our data publicly for the last dozen years to places like http://environmentyukon.ca/geomatics/data.html.
Thank you for bringing clarity and quesion to the use and re-use of data in a project like OSM. Unfortunately I cannot respond in kind with clear legal license agreement or usage statement as we don't have one. The answer I've been giving usage questions for many years closey resembles: ///The data we publish is paid for with public funds and is public property; private and commercial entities can do with their property what they wish. It would be courteous to inform us what you are doing with it and to credit the "Yukon Department of Environment, Information Management & Technology Branch" or "Environment Yukon" where applicable./// It is something of an embarrassment to me we have no official statement. The open source ecosystem and it's constant attention to and discussion of licensing has been integral to my work stream for years -- meaning I can't plead ignorance. I'll take this as a challenge and opportunity to rectify the lack of clear license terms. It would be helpful in raising the priority of this project if OSM were to ask for clarity and point out that lack of it hinders or even blocks use of the data we publish. (Yes this paraphrases what you just said, but we're having a discussion akin to meeting over coffee and it does not carry the same weight as an inquiry). Best regards, matt wilkie -------------------------------------------- Geomatics Analyst Information Management and Technology Yukon Department of Environment 10 Burns Road * Whitehorse, Yukon * Y1A 4Y9 867-667-8133 Tel * 867-393-7003 Fax http://environmentyukon.ca/geomatics/ -------------------------------------------- >>> On 13/05/2010 8:56 AM, Matt Wilkie wrote: >>> Yes, the parks and protected area data is free and libre, as is all >>> the gis data from Environment Yukon found on the website. (Please note >>> that the Wildlife Key Areas does have it's own license agreement.) >> >> "Free and libre" mean different things to different people, and OSM >> uses a particularly strict interpretation in the interest of keeping >> OSM "cleaner than clean" from a copyright point of view. >> >> Please, please, please. Collect the information, link to the license, >> summarize the license problem areas, and then start a discussion on >> legal-talk. >> >> Just saying, "yeah, we're cool" without backup is risky. >> The proliferation of homegrown licenses at municipalities is making it >> very difficult to include that data in OSM. The licenses interact >> with each other like citrus and dairy in a single glass. Fine in >> isolation, but a complete mess when mixed. >> >> Even if the person in charge grants you an "okay for use in OSM", >> without a written agreement to relicense as CCBYSA, and in future >> ODbL, risks the need to remove that data later. > _______________________________________________ Talk-ca mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-ca
