The Open Database License (ODbL) is a copyleft ("share alike") license agreement intended to allow users to freely share, modify, and use a database while maintaining this same freedom for others.[2]
ODbL is published by Open Data Commons (see also Open Data), part of Open Knowledge International (was Foundation).[3]
The ODbL was created with the goal of allowing users to share their data freely without worrying about problems relating to copyright or ownership. It allows users to make free use of the data in the database without worrying about copyright of the creators, and add to the data or use in other databases. The license establishes the rights of users of the database, as well as the correct procedure for attributing credit where credit is due for the data, and how to make changes or improvements in the data, thus simplifying the sharing and comparison of data. Users no longer need to worry of repercussions of violations of copyright law or stolen information when using an Open Database License.
The OpenStreetMap (OSM) project completed the move from a Creative Commons license to ODbL in September 2012[4] in an attempt to have more legal security[5] and a more specific license for databases rather than creative works.
Other projects using ODbL include OpenCorporates,[6]Open Food Facts,[7] and Paris OpenData.[8]
As of this edit, this article uses content from "ODC Open Database License (ODbL) Summary", which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.
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