posted
I'm writing a non-fiction book which needs to include maps. I really don't know how to go about including them. I don't assume that mapquest or Google Maps are copyright free, or are they? Or can I just copy a paper street map and includ that? Or will I need to draw my own? Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.
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posted
Based on the research I have done maps are considered Intellectual Property and subject to copyright laws. Google Permissions is fairly easy to you. They have a tool (LINKED HERE) that you can use to see if yours type of use is acceptable. After you answer the questions they give you guide information on how to use and cite their maps correctly.
posted
You might have to contract with somebody to draw the maps you need. But I don't know off-hand whether you'd need more than a rough sketch in the manuscript stage (which you could provide yourself,) or something close to finished-state.
Don't copy someone else's map unless you can prove it's in public domain, say, something from a book from the 1700s or so on. In particular, don't copy street maps.
For another reason, the steet maps you use often have bogus information in them---phony names, towns, streets, streams and so on---just so the mapmakers can see if anybody's stealing their copyrighted information. Nothing big, just enough to identify it as coming from "their" map. (I once used a local map to memorize carrier routes---I found a section of one development that had streets named after characters in The Hobbit. I drove there. They don't exist.)
posted
Both posts are good advice. Check with Google's TOS and if your use is allowed, great. Otherwise getting somebody to draw your maps is a great alternative. You can't copyright the location or extent of a feature on the earth (a city, a road, a mountain range), but you *can* copyright a map because of the graphical presentation choices involved (colors etc).
Another viable option is to use a simple open source GIS program (like Quantum GIS) and open data sets to develop your maps. Some GIS programs are definitely rocket sciency, but the simple ones like Quantum are pretty straightforward. If you can run a word processor or a drawing program you can create basic maps in such a program without too much trouble. It'd certainly be worth doing if you have lots of maps or if you are going to do this again. Even if you're going to have an artist, you can save him a lot of trouble by doing rough drafts of the maps yourself.
posted
Hey thanks for the help. I didn't get back to this before Hatrack was down for an extended period of time, so I apologize for the delay in acknowledging your replies.
Posts: 440 | Registered: Aug 2005
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