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I plan to use OSM tiles (from my own tile server) to display them on both public website and internal application. I want to add dynamic GPS positioned marks, let's say from car's GPS.

I also want to use all or subset of map data, for example without tree marks.

Can I keep my source code closed?

asked 19 Aug '12, 22:39

kecag999's gravatar image

kecag999
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accept rate: 0%


You can keep your software closed without problems, as cartinus said. But there is a difference in the two licenses.

For the CC-BY-SA license, you need to release any derived work again under CC-BY-SA. That means, if you render your own style of tiles, those have to be released under CC-BY-SA, so people are allowed to copy your style. You don't have to open-source the software though. It's not because a photo is licensed under CC-BY-SA that it can't be edited with the closed photoshop.

For the ODBL license, you can also copyright your style (off coarse, up to the limit where copyrights go, it has to be original when you want to copyright it, not based on some existing style). For the ODBL, only the data has to be open.

On the other hand, copyrighting of tiles is quite vague, as people can always get "inspired" by other rendering, and use that inspiration for their own tiles. You can use that for your own tiles, but other websites also can use that when they see your tiles.

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answered 20 Aug '12, 08:28

Sanderd17's gravatar image

Sanderd17
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accept rate: 31%

Both the old (cc-by-sa) and the new (ODbL) license of the OSM data are only about the data itself. They say nothing about the software you use to work with this data. So the software can have any license you like.

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answered 20 Aug '12, 01:12

cartinus's gravatar image

cartinus
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accept rate: 27%

1

See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Thank you for your answer, but I'm afraid of the following condition: "If you [...] build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.". So if I "build upon" OpenStreetMap, is my application considered Derivative Work and should be distributed under the same license?

(20 Aug '12, 01:21) kecag999
3

If you release some .pdf-file under the cc-by-sa license. Then most people will view that file with Adobe Acrobat Reader. This has absolutely no effect on the license under which Adobe Acrobat Reader is available.

(20 Aug '12, 01:34) cartinus
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question asked: 19 Aug '12, 22:39

question was seen: 3,124 times

last updated: 20 Aug '12, 08:28

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum