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> handing your competitors all your work for free Yes and No. The OSM licence is similar to the GPL. If you make a derived work, you have to share your changes
by rmc 11y ago
> handing your competitors all your work for free
Yes and No. The OSM licence is similar to the GPL. If you make a derived work, you have to share your changes back.
If OSM got a big cash bump, and was improved, then if (say) Google wants to put that improvement in Google Maps, they would be forced to release all the data that's in Google Maps. Unlikely to happen.
- mseebach 11y agoNo, but if OSM becomes good, then, say, Ford, can just grab it and use it in their cars for free. They're just going to use it, not improve it, so there's nothing to contribute back. Then Audi, BMW and Mercedes spent $1b, and at the end of the day, their maps are the exact same as Ford's (who spend $0).