Pieren <pieren3 <at> gmail.com> writes: > I don't like this thread because it could leave the impression that > tracing on orthophotos is not a copyright infringement. Unfortunately, > it is.
I don't know how important it to struggle about copyrights and tracing vector data on imagery. It should be enough to say that using imagery from Google Earth or Google Maps may be against Google ToC, even it is not clear, and we have our own rules that as long as it is not clearly allowed we do not use it for OSM. But this copyright thing is so great fun that I'll continue it a bit. Let's see the satellite image layer with Google Maps or Yahoo Maps. You can read there, for example, "Imagery (C) DigitalGlobe, GeoEye". What does it mean? It gives a hint that the copyright of the imagegy does not even belong to Google or Yahoo. Have a look at standard license of Spot Image http://www.spotimage.fr/automne_modules_files/ftp-generic/eula-E.pdf and QuickBird license http://www.digitalglobe.com/digitalglobe2/file.php/646/QuickBird_Imagery_Products-Product_Guide.pdf Both of the companies do mention vector data derived from imagery in their license terms. Both are saying that customers can create derivative vector data and do what ever they want with those data. Neither of them claim that the image companies should have any copyrights over the derived vector data. Buy a license from Spot Image or DigitalGlobe and you can trace what ever you want (not including DEMs) and upload the data into OSM without a bad word. My conclusion is that tracing from Google may be Google ToC infringement. If it is copyright infringement then Google is not the other party, it is the image company. And then it would be a bit odd that it is an infringement when the same imagery is looked through Google API but not when looked through Yahoo API. It may be true, still, odd things happen and Google and Yahoo may have made different contracts. Yahoo obviously paying more because of more open licence terms? But all in all, because of uncertain ToC situation it is better not to use Google or Bing satellite imagery in OSM. _______________________________________________ talk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
