Don't copy from other maps

Don't copy from other maps is a guideline in OpenStreetMap. Contributions to the OpenStreetMap database must not infringe the intellectual property rights of anyone else.

This guideline applies strongly to modern map services (Google Maps, Yandex Maps, Bing Maps, Naver Maps, Apple Maps, etc.), which are all are under copyright and so we can't copy data from those services to OpenStreetMap.

Exception

Some map service may allow the use of their data in OSM, like the National Geographic Institute of France, who must publish his data into licence Etalab 2.0 which his compatible with ODbL, but note that some resources may be on compatible license but of a low quality, what in turns block copying.

Old maps can be used if they are old enough (mostly if they are over 70 years old), but the problem with this is that those map can be outdated, for example the US Army created maps for the Korean war (University of Texas Library - section "Historical Maps").

See also

• FAQ#Why don't you just use Google Maps/whoever for your data?
• Copyright information for UK mappers
• How to copy from old maps to OpenHistoricalMap
• Import/Guidelines applying in case of unreviewed copying
• Out-of-copyright maps