Import/ODbL Compatibility

This is a matrix for quickly checking compatibility of data released under certain common licenses with the ODbL.

If you are interested in background information and past discussions regarding this topic, one possible source is the legal-talk mailing list archive.

Note that while declared license of dataset may be compatible there may be still problems due to different jurisdiction and/or ignoring copyright issues. For example, Wikidata declares itself to be CC0 but includes location data copied from Google Maps, OpenStreetMap and other copyrighted sources.

Note that any license with commercial use prohibition (for example "The works shall be used only for nonprofit purposes.") or forbidding modification (for example "It is prohibited to modify the work, or change it to create a secondary work.") is clearly incompatible with ODBL.

License (link to full text or overview)	ODbL compatibility	Contributor Terms compatibility	Notes	wiki.osmfoundation
fully compatible licenses
PD	OK	OK	intellectual property rights are expired or forfeited or are not applicable	Licence Compatibility - Public Domain (PD) at wiki.osmfoundation.org
CC0	OK	OK	License terms are compatible, but the licenser does not guarantee for it. 4c of the license explicitly states: "Affirmer disclaims responsibility for clearing rights of other persons that may apply to the Work or any use thereof, including without limitation any person's Copyright and Related Rights in the Work. Further, Affirmer disclaims responsibility for obtaining any necessary consents, permissions or other rights required for any use of the Work."	Licence Compatibility - CC0 at wiki.osmfoundation.org
PDDL	OK	OK	-
WTFPL	OK	OK	-
compatible but with problems
UK Open Government Licence (OGL) v3.0	OK	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	The licence text explicitly says that it is forwards compatible with the ODbL.
Norwegian Licence for Open Government Data (NLOD) 2.0	OK	Inherits problem from OGL. Requires explicit permission	9. Licence compatibility lists OGL 3.0 as compatible.
not OK but might be "fixable"
CC-BY 1.0 Generic	incompatible attribution requirements and other terms	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	Terms have never been vetted for inclusion in OSM
CC-BY 2.0 Generic	incompatible attribution requirements and other terms	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	Read this LWG blog post for their evaluation of CC-BY 4.0
CC-BY 2.5 Generic	incompatible attribution requirements and other terms	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	Read this LWG blog post for their evaluation of CC-BY 4.0
CC-BY 3.0 Unported	incompatible attribution requirements and other terms	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	Read this LWG blog post for their evaluation of CC-BY 4.0
CC-BY 4.0 International	likely incompatible attribution requirements and other terms; additional waivers required for reasonable attribution and unrestricted distribution	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	Read this LWG blog post for their evaluation of CC-BY 4.0 and why an additional agreement (see the cover letter and waiver form) is requested.
not OK and likely not "fixable"
CC-BY-SA 1.0 Generic	incompatible share-alike and attribution requirements	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic	incompatible share-alike and attribution requirements	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-SA 2.5 Generic	incompatible share-alike and attribution requirements	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported	incompatible share-alike and attribution requirements	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-SA 4.0 International	incompatible share-alike and attribution requirements	problematic in case of future license change if incompatible new license is chosen	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-NC all versions	incompatible non-commercial and attribution requirements	incompatible because right of commercial use is not granted	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-NC-ND all versions	incompatible non-commercial, attribution and no derivative works requirements	incompatible because right of commercial use and to modify data is not granted	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-NC-SA all versions	incompatible non-commercial, attribution and share-alike requirements	incompatible because right of commercial use is not granted	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM
CC-BY-ND all versions	incompatible no derivative works and attribution requirements	incompatible because right to modify data is not granted	cannot be made ODbL compatible, consider contacting rights holder(s) for explicit permission to integrate data into OSM