[Foundation-l] Copyrighted maps and Derived works

[Aude]

There are differences in how data (incl.    map data) is treated under  
US law and how UK/European law treat data and data collections/databases

Wikipedia is operates under US copyright law, w/ servers and the  
foundation US based (not sure how the Amsterdam servers fit under  
laws). In the US, facts such as listings in the phone book and  
geocoordinates are not copyrightable.  I think wikipedians deriving  
these facts from google maps or google earth is okay under us law

On the otherhand, openstreetmap is based in the uk with servers in  
London, and operates under uk/european law.  I know that databases and  
data collections do get some protection under law there.  Thus  
openstreetmap regards databases of coordinates (eg google) as having  
protection and disallows google maps as a source for osm

Although deriving geocoordinates from google maps for wikipedia (under  
us law) is okay, I would prefer not doing so and use osm, NASA  
worldwind and other public domain or open licensed sources. (gps okay  
too, though that gets into other questions). But the deed is done in  
regards to coordinates and I see enough consensus among wikipedians  
about facts not being copyrightable,  so I'm not so interested in  
debating that

The best way to link osm to wikipedia is not to import wikipedia  
coordinates.  Rather there is an osm wikipedia tag to enter the name/ 
URL of an associated wikipedia article

Aude

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 1, 2010, at 11:21 AM, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 1 April 2010 14:58, Alison M. Wheeler  
> <wikimedia at alisonwheeler.com> wrote:
>
>> 2. Taking an image from a satellite or aeroplane image requires no  
>> copyrightable skill: Camera points down, takes images at fixed  
>> focus at regular time intervals. Images are published.
>
>
> Minor detail - although this is a valid point philosophically, as I
> understand it the current state of things is that such imagery is in
> fact considered to have a valid copyright, even if the creative input
> is "let's send up a plane and set this automatic camera going" or
> "let's build a robot with a camera and start it in a given place" or
> "let's send a probe to Saturn and have it take pictures." NASA images
> are PD not because of no creativity, but because they're US Federal
> Government works.
>
>
> - d.
>
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