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It's too bad you guys aren't incorporated in the EU[0].

Looking at that, Google is only allowed to protect its content with database rights for 15 years after publication, with "substantial additions" getting the same 15 years from the moment of their publishing. I bet there is an interesting legal argument in if modifying opening hours or location of a PoI is considered a "substantial addition", because otherwise any PoI (including businesses) added up to July 2011 would be fair game now :). Not that OSM has the financial means to fight off a behemoth like Google.

Tbh, even then, OSM itself states: "The project is not an exercise in copying maps while trying to avoid copyright traps. We create maps without copying at all! That is the challenge we have set for ourselves.", so the point is moot.

I do wish Apple would just incorporate OSM's PoI data. Right now their's is complete garbage compared to Google Maps and OSM, missing vast swathes of info (or being woefully out of date) in almost all cities.

[0]https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/regional...

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We broadly aim to be legal worldwide since it's not very cool if we get outlawed in e.g. Australia and businesses there can't use OpenStreetMap for anything, can't download OsmAnd there, MapComplete is blocked from browsers, etc. Incorporating in the EU was actually a consideration due to Brexit (don't remember the reasons) but it sounds like the benefits didn't outweigh the effort of moving, seeing as it hasn't happened

Interesting though that there's this different (15 years) term where normal copyright is just about forever. That's going to come in handy somewhere for datahoarder me I'm sure :D

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