Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Open Data licensing?

[Joshua Gay]

Creating a good license for data can be challenging because very often
such data is not subject to copyright. The ODBL makes inconvenient
requirements about signing contracts which try to create an effect like
copyleft for data that is not copyrightable, so we don't recommend using
it; however, there is no reason to avoid using data released this way.

I am not sure the FSF has a single recommendation for licensing data and
databases specifically. We do have some comments on various licenses,
including non-software works,
<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses>.

Our list is pretty long, so we don't necessarily review all licenses,
however, if there is one that is being used a lot or that is especially
important to our community to have reviewed, then we will be more likely
to consider reviewing it and giving our opinion. Please contact
<licensing@fsf.org> with such requests or if you have any questions not
already answered by our license-list page about a particular license.

Josh


On 02/02/2013 08:45 AM, Fabian Rodriguez wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I see with increasing frequency municipal governements pulishing their
> data under "open data" licenses, most often new licenses instead of
> existing recognized licenses.
> 
> One recommendation that comes up is pointing them to
> http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/ and recommending they choose one
> license.
> 
> Has the FSF commented on this or analyzed such licenses to determine
> which would be closer to FSF's mission/philosophy?
> 
> I tend to favor the ODB but I'd like to have some other opinions on
> this: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/
> 
> IANAL, of course, so any legal sources/references would be welcome too.
> 
> F.
> 
> -- 
> Fabián Rodríguez
> http://fsf.magicfab.ca
> 
>