Re: FN-FORUM: Vector Map of UK & Ireland

date posted 16th May 2007 13:03

> Two things spring to mind. Firstly be very careful with OS Data it's
> very
> well patented and any use outside the licence is jumped upon. It's also
> watermarked.

I've been talking to OS about their Crown Copyright, and what it means. It
seems extremely restrictive, even to the point of not allowing you publish
the line of a route in something like Google Maps if you traced it from an
OS map (or used OS-based software such as Tracklogs).

They say that tracing a route from OS map data is a "derivative work" and
can only be used for personal use. To publish such tracings on the
internet you need a "Paper Map Copying Licence" for the web site. This is
very vague as to what is allowed, even so, most of the wording concerns
copying paper maps. It suggests that you can publish the OS map backgroung
as well as the route line, but I can't see that being allowed for long
routes. While other, more expensive, licenses specify limits to the map
areas published, the Paper Map Copying Licence doesn't seem to (although
the example usage is for office location maps).

If this license is indeed required, then I can see a very large number of
people with Tracklogs or MemoryMap cycling/walking routes on their sites
who would need to buy a license.

Anthony
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