Companies like NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas make maps for money; makes sense, we all have to pay the bills. But an article in Wired highlights the questionability of applying copyright and proprietary rights to map data. Can someone claim to own mapped neighborhoods? The Wired article highlights the case of Bernt Wahl, contracted by real estate portal HomeGain.com a few years back to create maps with newly defined neighborhood boundaries to enhance the reliability of the company’s search data. He created the maps which were then sold to a company called Maponics by HomeGain.
Now Maponics is suing Wahl for copyright infringement because he has continued perfecting his American maps, and creating new international maps based on the original data he sourced, but which Maponic now owns. Companies like Zillow.com have applied a Creative Commons license to their data, greatly because it can often be used for good.
It’s often used by governments and NGO’s to track crime rates or disease outbreaks, in essence enabling choices to be made in such situations that can save lives. This is the crux of the case. When maps and associated data are used for good shouldn’t they be public domain? And how can Maponics claim to own neighborhood boundaries that aren’t legally defined, but based on demographic data?
Obviously for Maponics, bottom line thinking is all that matters. I’m definitely on Wahl’s side in the situation, even though I understand companies need to make money. What do you think?
(Photo Credit: FractalExplorer’s Flickr Stream)
