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=About The OpenStreetMap License Change=
The OpenStreetMap project ishas movingmoved to a new license, known as the '''Open Database License (ODbL)''' which will replacereplaces the existingformer Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 2.0 license due to problems with the CC-BY-SA license when applied to data. The license is intended to clarifyclarifies the terms under which people make contributions to the project and the terms under which people can use the data. It is a basically a share alike license for data.
The proposed license has been developed by [http://www.opendatacommons.org/ OpenDataCommons] a project of the [http://www.okfn.org/ Open Knowledge Foundation].
The Foundation supports the adoption of this license and has reviewed it with their lawyers.
The proposednew license comes in two parts. One, the [http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/ Open Database License (ODbL)] covers the database itself and, and a set of upgraded [[License/Contributor_Terms| Contributor Terms]] covers the content of the database.
The license remains firmly rooted in the attribution, share-alike provisions of the existing Creative Commons License but the ODbL is far more suitable for open factual databases rather than the creative works of art. It extends far greater potential protection and is far clearer when, why and where the share-alike provisions are triggered. There are further reasons for moving away from CC BY-SA [[License/Why CC BY-SA is Unsuitable|here]].
== Where we are now ==
On Wednesday September the 12th, we announce the switch to the ODbL licence. The first ODbL licenced planet file was available on the 14th.
OPENSTREETMAP DATA IS NOT YET AVAILABLE UNDER THE NEW LICENSE.
On Wednesday 5th September, the board of the OpenStreetMap Foundation resolved that the license change should go ahead. This was announced at State Of The Map Conference, Thursday 6th September. The exact date and time of the change-over will happen when our next planet dump, (a single publicly downloadable XML-based compressed file of our entire database) is published. This is likely to happen in the next few days.
Prior copies of the database will be continue to be available under CC BY SA as long as there is demand.
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