OT - ord survey affiliate scheme

"> I have a small website where I post my walks, and through the OS
affiliate

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scheme, provide links for visitors to buy the relevant maps from the OS

I assume that others do the same, and would like to know what they think

of

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the level of support or channels of communication with the OS

Not sure what the OS Affiliated scheme is, but although I use OS maps I
would not place a link for them on my website. Why, you ask?

Well, like your site, I used to put very basic hand-drawn (using Paintshop
Pro paint tool) maps of my walks on the South Coast. Dots represented
features (hills and villages), black lines for roads, green lines for paths,
blue lines for rivers/streams. I even placed a notice on the map
recommended the OS map for the walk. I was hounded by the OS to either
remove the maps, pay for a licence to display them or be prosecuted and have
my website closed down. The OS said one of their cartographers had carried
out a detailed analysis of my maps, and come to the conclusion that I was in
breach of their Copyright. What a laugh!

So, to save any hassle, I removed the maps ..... but WILL NOT now give free
advertising to the OS.

--
Sandy Saunders @ www.thewalkzone.co.uk

"Mountains or Mole Hills ..... reaching the
summit still brings the same excitement"

MIKE said:

I have a small website where I post my walks, and through the OS affiliate
scheme, provide links for visitors to buy the relevant maps from the OS

I assume that others do the same, and would like to know what they think of
the level of support or channels of communication with the OS

Mike Leech

http://www.mikes-walks.co.uk/

I don't know where the basis for that assumption came from, but I echo everything Sandy said above.
The shameful tactics of the OS are well documented in past threads in this group. Although I know of
a few sites that have a link to the OS, I don't know of any that are involved in an affiliate
scheme, and I find it hard not to have contempt for those that are. Any money made from such an
association with the OS is dirty in my view, and I wouldn't [censored] on 'em if they were on fire.

For interest, why stain a nicely laid-out site with overt commercialism?. Most walking sites have
reports, photos and information for the use and enjoyment of everyone without a load of ads lowering
the tone.

Regards

-- GeoffC

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recommended the OS map for the walk. I was hounded by the OS to either
remove the maps, pay for a licence to display them or be prosecuted and

have

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my website closed down. The OS said one of their cartographers had

carried

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out a detailed analysis of my maps, and come to the conclusion that I was

in

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breach of their Copyright. What a laugh!

If you based any part of your hand drawn maps on any recent OS map materials
then you are in breach of copyright, i.e. if you only look at an OS map and
copy, by eye, a road "roughly" the same then you'll be in breach of
copyright.

If you drew the map by hand based on your observations on the ground, GPS
survey, or commisioned your own photogrametric plot or arial survey then
you'll be okay.

You will also be okay if you use old out-of-copyright OS material i.e. OS
maps printed before 1979 (someone I know does this regulary). You should
cite the use of the out-of-copyright work however.

I create maps on a voluntary basis for a local sporting organisation. For
all maps that we produce, based upon copyrighted OS material, we register
the map with our national body and have to pay a royalty for each printed
map used. Speaking as a member of an organisation that follows the rules
and pays the OS their due it does annoy one sometimes when private
individuals get away with less.

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You will also be okay if you use old out-of-copyright OS material i.e. OS
maps printed before 1979

Whoops, that date should have been 1954, not 1979. I had my mind on
something else...

Quoted message said:

For interest, why stain a nicely laid-out site with overt commercialism?. Most walking sites have
reports, photos and information for the use and enjoyment of everyone without a load of ads lowering
the tone.

Regards

-- GeoffC

I would happily advertise Harveys for free.....

As for the O$ sadly they are just a necessary evil

Richard Webb

"GeoffC" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
news:[email hidden]...

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On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 12:01:06 +0100, "MIKE" <[email hidden]> wrote:

snip

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I don't know where the basis for that assumption came from, but I echo

everything Sandy said above.

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The shameful tactics of the OS are well documented in past threads in this

group.
snip

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Regards

-- GeoffC

I agree. You are NOT guilty until proven so. If you create a very rough
sketch, even when based on OS information, they still have to prove that you
used their information. An independent judge won't convict you.
In the near future I will create a map and put it on my fotopic gallery for
anybody to judge or guess who's information I used.

Theo

theo said:

I agree. You are NOT guilty until proven so. If you create a very rough
sketch, even when based on OS information, they still have to prove that
you used their information. An independent judge won't convict you.
In the near future I will create a map and put it on my fotopic gallery
for anybody to judge or guess who's information I used.

Sadly the abstrads have fat-a*se lawyers and money on their side. They can
threaten your ISP, who will likely cave in and pull your site, leaving it
up to *you* to sue *them*, a far more daunting and expensive prospect than
the other way round.
--
Dave

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 21:54:12 +0100, Dave Pickles <[email hidden]>
wrote:

| theo wrote:
|
| > I agree. You are NOT guilty until proven so. If you create a very rough
| > sketch, even when based on OS information, they still have to prove that
| > you used their information. An independent judge won't convict you.
| > In the near future I will create a map and put it on my fotopic gallery
| > for anybody to judge or guess who's information I used.
|
| Sadly the abstrads have fat-a*se lawyers and money on their side. They can
| threaten your ISP, who will likely cave in and pull your site, leaving it
| up to *you* to sue *them*, a far more daunting and expensive prospect than
| the other way round.

The problem is that OS believe that no one but them survey the UK properly,
or accurately. Any one with a GPS, and a suitable computer program, can
now do surveying to a reasonable accuracy, transfer the points to a
computer, add roads, buildings freehand, and print the results, all quiite
cheaply in time and efort.

IANAL but I would guess that, saying "I used GPS for this", and giving the
raw GPS reference points used, to the OS would show that you did not use
their data as a base.

Ihe government GPS site http://www.gps.gov.uk/info.asp specifically
mentions GPS surveying.

--
Dave F

"Dave Pickles" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

theo said:

I agree. You are NOT guilty until proven so. If you create a very rough
sketch, even when based on OS information, they still have to prove that
you used their information. An independent judge won't convict you.
In the near future I will create a map and put it on my fotopic gallery
for anybody to judge or guess who's information I used.

Sadly the abstrads have fat-a*se lawyers and money on their side. They can
threaten your ISP, who will likely cave in and pull your site, leaving it
up to *you* to sue *them*, a far more daunting and expensive prospect than
the other way round.

If that's the case this organisation should be named 'the *S', after a group
of people somewhere in Germany in the middle of the 20th century. I thought
we got rid of them. :-(

Theo

theo said:

"Dave Pickles" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

theo said:

I agree. You are NOT guilty until proven so. If you create a very rough
sketch, even when based on OS information, they still have to prove that
you used their information. An independent judge won't convict you.
In the near future I will create a map and put it on my fotopic gallery
for anybody to judge or guess who's information I used.

Sadly the abstrads have fat-a*se lawyers and money on their side. They can
threaten your ISP, who will likely cave in and pull your site, leaving it
up to *you* to sue *them*, a far more daunting and expensive prospect than
the other way round.

If that's the case this organisation should be named 'the *S', after a group
of people somewhere in Germany in the middle of the 20th century. I thought
we got rid of them. :-(

Civil Servants are the same everywhere...

Bernie