{"id":1291,"slug":"openstreetmap-odbl-license-share-alike","title":"OpenStreetMap uses the Open Database License (ODbL) — attribution + share-alike on derivative databases; \"produced works\" (rendered maps) can be licensed freely","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["open-data","mapping-apis","open-data-licensing"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** **OpenStreetMap uses the Open Database License (ODbL)**: **attribution** (\"© OpenStreetMap contributors\") + **share-alike** — if you publish a *derivative database* you must release it under ODbL. **Rendered map images** (\"Produced Works\") can be licensed freely **but** you must offer the underlying data/method on request. **Internal-only use is exempt.**\n\n**Source:** OSM Foundation Legal FAQ (https://osmfoundation.org) ; https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/License/Use_Cases ; EU sui generis DB rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Database_License\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** When recommending OSM as a Google-Maps alternative ([[streeteasy-300k-google-maps-osm-switch]]), the share-alike obligation is the most-missed detail. For a typical SMB rendering OSM-derived tiles, attribution + the offer-on-request requirement is the real obligation, not a full source release. See [[rule-read-the-license-before-building-on-open-data]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"us-federal-works-public-domain-opa","title":"US federal government works are generally public domain — OPEN Government Data Act (P.L. 115-435) + 17 U.S.C. §105; agencies encouraged to use CC0","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-data-driven-tools-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: live data and data-driven tools for SMBs — when it's an edge, when it's overkill (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"streeteasy-300k-google-maps-osm-switch","title":"StreetEasy switched from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap after calculating Google would cost ~$300k/year; Foursquare also switched","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-read-the-license-before-building-on-open-data","title":"R3 — Read the license before building a product on open data; CC0 ≠ CC BY-SA ≠ ODbL","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T16:57:38.950Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T16:57:38.950Z"}