OpenStreetMap uses the Open Database License (ODbL) — attribution + share-alike on derivative databases; "produced works" (rendered maps) can be licensed freely

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.

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

Confidence: Verified.

Why this matters for Candid: When recommending OSM as a Google-Maps alternative (StreetEasy switched from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap after calculating Google would cost ~$300k/year; Foursquare also switched), 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 R3 — Read the license before building a product on open data; CC0 ≠ CC BY-SA ≠ ODbL.