Hi,
because of the comment in this ( osm.org/user/Detructor/diary/1709#comments ) thread from TomH I wanted to ask if it is allowed to use online map sites (such as http://maps.google.com ) to get the name of a street?!
greetings
detructor
OpenStreetMap
Hi,
because of the comment in this ( osm.org/user/Detructor/diary/1709#comments ) thread from TomH I wanted to ask if it is allowed to use online map sites (such as http://maps.google.com ) to get the name of a street?!
greetings
detructor
Discussion
Kommentaar van andrewpmk op 27 Mei 2008 om 08:08
Absolutely no. You must visit them yourself. Copying from Google or other online map sites constitutes copyright infringement.
Kommentaar van Detructor op 27 Mei 2008 om 08:21
wait, you get me wrong:
I track the streets myself.
But often I forget the name of the street or I can't remember exactly.
Can I visit (in this case) maps.google.com and take (only!!!!) the name(!) of the street?
Kommentaar van PhilippeP op 27 Mei 2008 om 08:25
No , because of the copyright crap ... and because of the voluntary errors found in these...
(In any case , cross referencing is always best ...)
Kommentaar van Detructor op 27 Mei 2008 om 08:37
?so the map creators have a copyright on the names of the streets?
...in that case I don't can insert any name into OSM...
Kommentaar van photohiker op 27 Mei 2008 om 08:43
Sure you can. Just record the name of the street as you track it with your GPS. Pencil and paper, photo or audio will all work.
Kommentaar van Detructor op 27 Mei 2008 om 09:10
but...as Phillippe wrote "No , because of the copyright crap"
so if the online map services have a copyright on the street names, I can't insert them into OSM...there is no difference between the names at the online map service and the names at the streets...if on one is a copyright, it is on the other, too.
Kommentaar van TomH op 27 Mei 2008 om 09:14
This is a very complicated area - in theory the name of the street is a fact and not subject to copyright. It is however subject to database right in countries (like EU countries) which have that - database right protects a collection of data even if that data is factual and making a substantial extract (for some value of substantial) of that collection of data is not allowed.
In addition there is the problem that these mapping site will put in deliberately misnamed streets and things to detect copying - those incorrect names are arguably not facts and hence subject to copyright protection if you copy them.
The critical point however is that it doesn't really matter what the law actually says - if the site you are using wants to start a legal argument then we can't afford to defend ourselves so we have to avoid doing anything that might even possibly lead to such an argument.
Kommentaar van SuborbitalPigeon op 27 Mei 2008 om 11:54
The only reason the real name and the copyrighted map's names are supposed to be the same is because their map's right for that particular road.
Just because someone says that the road I live on is "Montrose Drive", doesn't mean any knowledge of that name is also under copyright.
Kommentaar van PhilippeP op 27 Mei 2008 om 12:37
Cross referencing from different map services(look that they don't use the same source provider , there's not a lot of them) , and paper maps (a lot of municipalities, cities gives those to their residents) should filter the Copyright Easter Eggs out ...
Kommentaar van spaetz op 27 Mei 2008 om 13:28
1) Yes it's debatable whether the fact that a street is "miller street" is copyrightable
2) What is not debatable is that drawing (even public domain) data in large amounts out of somebody elses database is prohibited in some areas of the world. So there you go already.
3) What is also not debatable is that if you copy somebody elses mistakes from a map (and there are plenty) then you break their copyright
4) Their Terms of Service plainly prohibit derivative works. You could argue that this is invalid, bu you don't want to be sued by Google, even if you are right.
5) It's just much more fun (and healthier) to go out and check the streetnames yourself.
Kommentaar van Detructor op 27 Mei 2008 om 14:12
2nd yes, I know
3rd I know
4th ;) yep^^
5th hmmm...it is not healthie when you track street with a high amount of traffic ;) or try to read the ****** ** streetnames (need new glasses...but I'm to lazy to buy new glasses)
Kommentaar van smsm1 op 1 Junie 2008 om 20:34
Alternatively buy a camera with a good zoom lens (e.g. 10x zoom) and then you can take a picture and zoom into it on the computer (or camera) to read the name. I use a Panasonic DMC-TZ3, which is excellent for reading signs that I can't read due to the sin being too far away.
Kommentaar van Detructor op 1 Junie 2008 om 20:51
I've a camera...but the problem is here in GermanyN/Niedersachsen you often don't have a sign at secondary roads...and even no number...