New users have to sign up to the ODbL

After several thousand man years of effort by the License Working Group and a bit of help by TomH, the new contributor terms and license are up and to be agreed to by new users.

Signing up here in OSM:

https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/new

will take you here:

https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/terms

where essentially you are signing up to the existing CCBYSA plus the ODbL (Open Database License).

This is one step along the long path to moving to the ODbL. For all your fun ODbL needs, check out the wiki page:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/ODbL

Why is this step being taken? Basically, it bounds the problem of moving to a license which actually protects and clarifies the uses of OSMs data. Otherwise, the number of people who have to move grows every day. From now on, it is a bounded problem of only the users before today. Several further steps will need to be taken to actually move to the ODbL.

I’d like to thank all those involved in the ODbL and the LWG for all their hard work over the last two or so years in making this small step happen.

And, remember, if you have any concerns or objections then they’ve likely already to have been discussed at the above wiki page(s), or you’re welcome to be involved with the change process by joining the legal mailing list and/or joining the LWG calls.

3 thoughts on “New users have to sign up to the ODbL

  1. eMerzh

    Is there a way to sign it as an already registered user?i think this could be an good idea to see if there are any tendance….

  2. Richard Weait

    eMerzh, that is one of the next steps and should be available in the next few weeks or months.

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