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First Google Maps Hack Takedown
An anonymous reader writes "Despite "users accelerating innovation" with Google Maps the 'hacks' are not immune from Google's legal team, who have taken down "Google Wallpapers for violating the terms of agreement.
From a quick skim through the terms it would seem that most sites using the Google Maps data are in violation. Are Chicago Crime and Google Sightseeing next to go?" It may be a shame to shut down Google Maps offshoots, but that has to be the nicest take-down note I've ever seen; it's polite, friendly and reasonable. Update: 06/08 21:22 GMT by T : Below, a few more of the current uses for Google Maps.
An anonymous reader submits "The AP is running a story about the multiple uses for Google Maps. Among the uses, Tracking sexual predators in Florida, Guiding travelers to the cheapest gas nationwide, Pinpointing $1,500 studio apartments for rent in Manhattan, and Finding crime in Chicago. It'll be interesting to see if Google allows these sites to remain online or not."
Funny, you can still get to the python script that generates the wallpapers from the cached pages of http://gmerge.2ni.net/ on Google itself:
e vinux.org/~2ni/gmerge/+google+maps+wallpaper&hl=en
:)
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:lNdeCgLHUdwJ:l
Get it while its still there!
--greg Vulcan quiescent... Q: What machine shutdown with this message?
So if RIAA sent you a bouquet of flowers with a cute, humorous, handwritten greeting card personally signed by the PR manager informing your court appearance date, it wouldn't be so bad?
I don't think there is anything wrong for a listed company to protect its interest, control its IPs and maximize its profit, but the fanboy twist is totally unnecessary.
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
...at least be nice about it?
No...
.*AA any day.
1. Lawyers
2. Due Dates
3. Use of the word "compliance"
4. Use of the word "further action"
5. Nice invitation to a developers conference.
I'll take that over the
If religous zealots don't believe in Evolution, then why are they so worried about bird flu?
It sounds like Google Maps had to sign an agreement not to let the image data be used for commercial purposes. I wonder if they got a letter telling them to take down the offending site or be sued?
I read the internet for the articles.
I must say... they really are, "not being evil".
I've recieved a DMCA takedown notice before. Most aren't pretty. Personally, I never understood why most DMCA takedown notices were taken directly to ISP level, without even a word to the webmaster.
In this case, Google sent a nice letter, requesting they take it down, and even explaining why. This is far superious to any other company takedown letter I've ever seen.
Jay | http://oldos.org
...and then we finish the job with a Slashdotting. Nice.
Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
Are Chicago Crime and Google Sightseeing next to go?
Unfortunately yes, but that's because of us, not their violation of terms with Google.
If these walls could talk they'd probly still ignore me. --MF DOOM
Google Maps uses a fixed longitude/latitude distance ratio of ~0.772, while the true ratio depends on latitude (the ratio should be cos(latitude)). So Google Map is optimized for 39.5 of latitude (N or S), and the maps are increasingly distorted as you go toward the poles or the equator.
For example, Anchorage is stretched horizontally by a factor of 1.60 (yup those should be right angles).
MapQuest is similarly distorted, but Yahoo Maps is not.
"but that has to be the nicest take-down note I've ever seen; it's polite, friendly and reasonable."
Many years from now, we will see a similar Slashdot post when Google becomes the New World Order:
Dear Bill,
The GoogleOS team recently noticed that you guys have had your asses handed to you, by us. We commend you on your many years of somehow staying at the top, despite the fact that you sorely neglected securing your software. Sorry we had to break your record; but your evil violated the official Evil Google TOS, listed on our home page.
Lots of love and warm tapioca,
Larry and Sergei
IGB: More fun than eating oatmeal!
I don't think they will take down the craigslist-googlemaps mashup since they themselves praised it as a featured project on Google Code.
There is a reason why this particular project got the takedown notice:
1. The satellite/air imagery is probably not owned by Google - they must have licensed it from AirphotoUSA or whoever else is the supplier.
2. The wallpaper site simply takes the images and stitches them together as a wallpaper - which means that are not simply incorporating a google product, but appropriating the images therein. Google's terms of use with their provider would necessisate the takedown.
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
I used Google maps once, and I got SO lost in downtown Seattle. Their service is nice and full of features, but I prefer simple accuracy over fancy graphics anyday, especially when it means getting lost in the maze of one-way streets and idiot drivers that is downtown of any major city.
No, Google is good at a lot of things, but right now, maps is NOT one of those things.
Making such a site would not be a problem if you simply ask Google for the proper permissions. Who knows, if you are lucky then you might get a deal. And if you don't, at least you have tried, all they can do is say No. IP and Copyright does not need to be a problem if you are willing to talk and explain your intentions. Takedown notices generally come when you violate Copyright without even trying to get a permission deal.
9/11: Never forget it was a false-flag operation
I don't see anyone arguing the merits of Google's action, so I will. From what I can see from the Google cache of the web site, I see that following:
This gives Google good reason to shut down "Google Wallpapers" as it stands. I don't think it Google has any claims against the python script itself, just its users (which includes "Google Wallpapers").
This differs from "Google Sightseeing" and "Chicago Crime" (as far as I know, since I can't verify util the sites are back up), which only link to maps on Google, which means
Software publishers (I've never tried to contact a BSA publisher) and other independent media publishers are usually delighted to make a deal; often, even for free, or with a small percentage kickback if you're doing something for-profit.
I'm glad Google has decided to side with the independents instead of the corporate behemoths on their treatment of individuals in this case, and actually acknowledge that corporations share the world with individual human beings.
How did the parent get modded insightful?
:)
The maps are a copyrighted work. By default, you can't redistribute derivatives of that work unless the copyright holder explicitly grants permission.
The terms of service explain your rights to the content... they don't restrict them.
And yes... Fox can't dictate how you watch television. But try recording their lineup, stripping the commercials, and putting them on the Internet.
- You take someone elses content and pass it off as yours (even if you say "gee thanks google")
- Violate a Terms of Use agreement. Even if it's the ToU is hopelessly vague you can bet that you'll get a call as soon as your site gets popular enough
- You rush headlong into making a beta API the centerpiece of your website. Yeah, do it because it's neat, but don't whine when it breaks unless you want people to say "what the hell were you even thinking?". Even if it's Google's endless beta phase, if you rely on behaviour of a beta app, and then your site/app breaks... tough noogies.
The gyst is that Google is a company that makes a product and wants to make money and has investors blah blah blah..., just like Microsoft or Wallmart. You can argue tell your blue in the face about right/wrong, nice/not nice, good/evil, but the simple fact is that if you do something that legalize says you shouldn't do, and you get burned... don't be surprised. Google is going to oversee what people are doing with the googemaps... if they like it, they'll take the idea and incorporate it into their business model, if they don't like it (don't like == taxes resources or threatens revenue), the lawyers come knocking.Here are two pieces of evidence that Google does *not* disapprove of Google Maps hacks:
m apscraigslist-mashup.html
m aps_hac.html
1. A post to the official Google blog: http://google-code-featured.blogspot.com/2005/04/
"While we have no official API for Maps yet, work like this really is amazing and deserves recognition."
2. http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/05/google_
"They responded that they had every intention to not shut them down as long as their licenses permit it, and one of the engineers insinuated that they might be working on a Google Maps API or a similar way to build on top of Maps (he actually said, "to make them not hacks," by which I think he meant not unauthorized)."
Disclaimer: I'm the guy that did chicagocrime.org, so I'm biased in favor of openness.
The Google Maps team recently noticed your Google Maps tile "stitcher"
to see developers interested in our products and we commend you on the
service. That said, we would appreciate it if you voluntarily remove
your service and stop using Google Maps on your web site. The service
violates the Maps Terms of Service available at
http://www.google.com/help/terms_local.html, and jeopardizes our
ability to make Google Maps available to the public because it
encourages non-personal use of Google Maps.
If you have any questions or concerns, or if we have contacted the
wrong people, please feel free to contact me directly. Otherwise,
amueltc please let us know as soon as possible when the service has been
removed.
Thanks,
Bret Taylor
Product Manager, Google Maps
Get your Unix fortune now!
d00d u r n trbl...
My patience is infinite, my time is not.
It is ludicrous to claim that Google invested that much in the original content, since everyone just gets it from US Geological Survey.
So, go to the National Atlas and download and use to your heart's content. If that is not good enough, then go download all the data you can imagine. Still not enough, you can access all the layers via web services that comply with specifications published by the Open Geospatial Consortium at run time from your own web pages.
Now, write your congressmen and tell them how you appreciate that they made all this available to you, the citizen, for free, instead of spending all that tax money only to add a fee that makes it prohibitive for all but corporations who can be gatekeepers to keep you out. And hope that this doesn't become another casulty of Iraq budgets.
While you are at it, start a USGS support mailing list and an open source project to keep this sort of alive.
I have to say that sending a polite, could you not do this, e-mail is very cool of google. For a time, I ran a radio station off of my server. Not many people listened to it, but anyhow, I got a letter from ASCAP asking me to not do it.
There's letter was much more legalese ridden, etc, ultimately, they had the decency to send me a warning notice before they sicked a pack of lawyers onto me. After it was clear to me that they were serious about it, I stopped.
If I was swapping songs and the RIAA sent me a letter saying, "hey could you please stop?", I probably would. Instead, they'd probably just sue me, and charge me a lot of money I don't have.
So yeah, there's something to be said for how you say things.
This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
Yes. Google does, in fact.
The cache for the page, Linked here, has a link to the executable. The link still works. Get it while it's hot.
In fact, I think every person that makes a google utility should make an executable version for this very reason. It would save you bandwidth, it would save me loading time. Release it GPL and someone can make a multi-utility. Sounds great. Get to it, programmers!
http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/ I just wanted to let people know that the latest CVS of NASA World wind has a plugin engine that allows people to do the same thing (Their is even a plugin already made to do it!)
AOL Instant Messenger's Terms of Use forbid use of third party clients from connecting to the network. How come whenever AOL tries to lock out third party clients it is evil, but when Google does it, it's okay? Both are terms of service violations.
Grandparent hit it head on: enough fawning over Google.