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

If I create for example navigation maps from OSM and copyrighted sources (where I have the copyright) - is it possible to protect this final work against re-distribution?

Actually http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright states clearly that "if you alter or build upon our data, you may distribute the result only under the same licence".

One side note:

But even the OpenStreetMap.org map tiles that build on the OSM database are not distributed under the (exactly) same license - it is CC-BY-SA instead.

But I guess those licenses are somehow compatible - but the first sentence is misleading.

asked 10 Oct '12, 18:47

AddisMap_Alexander's gravatar image

AddisMap_Ale...
1.1k314062
accept rate: 0%

edited 15 Oct '12, 12:16

TomH's gravatar image

TomH ♦♦
3.3k83943


Summary

Your final work may be distributed as a "Produced Work", which can remain proprietary. However, where you've built upon the OSM data, you must share any data that you've added. This is the "Derivative Database" behind your produced work.

So, for example, let's say OSM only has half the streets for your town. You add the other half, and make a printed map out of it.

Example

You can sell the printed map and prevent other people from photocopying it - that's no problem. That's your Produced Work.

However, you've made this Produced Work from a Derivative Database, i.e. the combination of the OSM streets and the streets you've added. You have to make this available on request, under the terms of the OSM licence. So if someone e-mails you saying "hey, please give me the street data you added", you are obliged to supply it to them.

(The only get-out is if the extra data is just "sprinkled on top" and you haven't adapted either OSM's or your data in any way. In that case, it's a Collective Database, and there's no requirement to make the extra data available.)

More details

You can read the full text of our licence, the Open Database Licence.

permanent link

answered 10 Oct '12, 21:11

Richard's gravatar image

Richard ♦
30.9k44279412
accept rate: 18%

edited 10 Oct '12, 21:12

It's always good to read the FAQ :-)

See license FAQ - section 3d

I think the answer is: No, the product can be shared under a proprietary license, for example if additional POIs are added that were collected independently from the OpenStreetMap data:

permanent link

answered 10 Oct '12, 18:51

AddisMap_Alexander's gravatar image

AddisMap_Ale...
1.1k314062
accept rate: 0%

Follow this question

By Email:

Once you sign in you will be able to subscribe for any updates here

By RSS:

Answers

Answers and Comments

Markdown Basics

  • *italic* or _italic_
  • **bold** or __bold__
  • link:[text](http://url.com/ "title")
  • image?![alt text](/path/img.jpg "title")
  • numbered list: 1. Foo 2. Bar
  • to add a line break simply add two spaces to where you would like the new line to be.
  • basic HTML tags are also supported

Question tags:

×155

question asked: 10 Oct '12, 18:47

question was seen: 3,022 times

last updated: 15 Oct '12, 12:16

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