Hi Felix, On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 02:31:19AM +0100, Felix Hartmann wrote:
My main concern is that Garmin map publishers (like Onroute) use large parts of my style-file to have better autorouting and produce closed source commercial maps. They currently do many things wrong (even though Onroute is the only one that ever gave autorouting for cyclists some thought).
Copyright only covers more or less verbatim copying, but not the copying of ideas. Patents would offer wider protection, but they are a very controversial topic ("software patents") and out of the reach of anything but deep-pocket corporations that can afford patent attorneys.
I already had quite a few ideas/concepts copied by Garmin map compilers (e.g. using assymetric transparent lines - which was so forgotten by Garmin or not intended that they stopped supporting it until copying many parts for the Garmin Transalpin - if you look at their typfile it really shows many traces of the typfiles I used when starting my then called "mtb maps" on the osm wiki, or first versions of my "openmtbmap".). I also assume Garmin map producers will start using invisible routable lines (which I first used) or even several invisible routable lines to overcome the shortcoming of the garmin turn-time-penalties.
They can be copying ideas from this mailing list already. I don't think that there is any way to prevent the copying. You would need an army of lawyers for that. Only big corporations can afford that. All we can do is to compete by quality. The general public is becoming increasingly more aware of OpenStreetMap and the independence from proprietary map vendors. I hope that it is a positive feedback loop: the map is good enough for some users, users will make it even better, it becomes good enough for even more users, and so on. Proprietary maps will never get accurate coverage of minor paths and the like. Not even cycleways, at least not here. So, most cyclists here should know to avoid buying maps. :-) Marko