Whoa, can of worms! I think its unlikely any sane vendor would selectively ruin their data in order to simplify copyright monitoring. Of course 'sane' and 'vendor' may be oxymoronic.
Unless you collect data at 1:1 you have to make some decisions in data capture what you include/omit. A large mapping organisation which is continually producing original or value-add digital mapping will have a house style and electronic paper records to back up these decisions and be able to demonstrate that they have been taken in the assembling of a product you bring to market. However, if you simply nick someone else data and present it as your own you WON'T have those records. An expert witness is a court of law will be able to demonstrate that all these are in place - for example, decisions about which vertices to include around a complex shape such as a rocky lake - and produce all the worksheets/data capture and edit details to support this. I think all this stuff about 'imaginary map details' is an old wives tale, though I'm sure someone who really knows their stuff can probably look at a digital map file and have a pretty good idea of how it was made. BTW this will aply to value-add as well as original data capture. Lots of companies use Ordnance Survery road data to underpin routing products and (anecdotally of course) have to spend a lot of time fettling it every time they get a new batch in. Paul Crisp Syntegra Direct: 0191 461 4522 Mobile: 0776 414 3762 Fax: (0191) 461 1959 Innovation Place Metro Riverside Park Delta Bank Road Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE11 9DJ -----Original Message----- From: ALICIA COX [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 30 April 2002 14:00 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: MI-L Protecting GIS data (cross-posted), reply Ok. If I am understanding this conversation... If someone successfully copyrights a set of data... Then we are buying fictional data? A set of data that we know there is an intentional error in it??? If the table is purposefully wrong why do we use it, especially if they wont even tell you were the error is, Since that spot they have the error might be the focus area of the map you are attempting to make. Alicia Kaye Cox DHS / CH&P / PMSS 535 W. Jefferson, 3rd Floor Phone: 217 / 524 - 5987 Fax: 217 / 557 - 0515 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************************** This email may contain information which is privileged or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender immediately and delete it without reading, copying, storing, forwarding or disclosing its contents to any other person Thank you Check us out at http://www.syntegra.com ********************************************************************
