Nadace OpenStreetMap, stojící za provozem stejnojmenného mapového webu, zvažuje odchod z Velké Británie. OpenStreetMap, kterou téměř před dvaceti lety založil britský podnikatel Steve Coast, hledá novou základnu své nadace.
Britský deník The Guardian cituje nadačního pokladníka Guillaume Rischarda, který říká, že “There is not one reason for moving, but a multitude of paper cuts, most of which have been triggered or amplified by Brexit.”
One “important reason”, Rischard said, was the failure of the UK and EU to agree on mutual recognition of database rights. While both have an agreement to recognise copyright protections, that only covers work which is creative in nature.
Maps, as a simple factual representation of the world, are not covered by copyright in the same way, but until Brexit were covered by an EU-wide agreement that protected databases where there had been “a substantial investment in obtaining, verifying or presenting the data”. But since Brexit, any database made on or after 1 January 2021 in the UK will not be protected in the EU, and vice versa.
Other concerns Rischard listed include the increasing complexity and cost of “banking, finance and using PayPal in the UK”, the inability for the organisation to secure charitable status, and the loss of .eu domains.
The increased importance of the EU in matters of tech regulation also played a role: “We could more effectively lobby the EU [and] EU governments and have more of an impact, especially in countries where there is no local chapter,” Rischard wrote.
The move may still not happen if the foundation can’t find a suitable country to relocate to. Ireland is out, because of a requirement for directors to be residents; France too, because of the difficulty in guaranteeing English-language services. “The negative side is that it would mean a lot of work, and cost time and money,” Rischard added.
V prohlášení, které nadace OpenStreetMap rozeslala, se píše, že „“We are actively researching options to protect the OSM community’s interests, and one option under investigation is relocation to an EU member state. We have made no decisions so far.”
Pro zájemce o problematiku autorských práv kolem kartografických děl doporučujeme diskuzi k článku Guardianu na Hacker News.
