Is this infringement?

[Diaboyos]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Louisiana

I am compiling an extensive database of specific locations around the world using Google Earth. When completed I would like to sell the database in the form of a save file the customer can then open using their own copy of Google Earth giving them access to all the saved locations. The only thing that would be sold is a small save file and not the Google Earth program itself. Would this constitute copyright infringement against Google?

 

[justalayman]

trying to understand.

you are basically selling a list of coordinates associated with a location.

something such as a latitude and longitude coordinate?

 

[Diaboyos]

Yes. Say you open Google Earth, map about 1000 locations, then save them all under the name "map". You then have a save file named map.kmz. Then you sell the save file map.kmz that someone can then open with their own copy of Google Earth. All that's being sold is the save file and not the program itself.

What concerns me is if Google may have proprietary rights on the file format the saved file is saved in. The .kmz. Or the fact that the save file requires the use of their program in order to work.

 

[FlyingRon]

Google does not have (nor do they assert) any rights to data in the KMZ format. You're free (and even encouraged) by them to distribute information in that format.

The format is pathetically simple minded anyhow. There's not really anything to assert. The Z part used to be covered (arguably) by a Unisys patent, but that expired over a decade ago.

 

[Diaboyos]

So I'm good to go huh? Sounds good. Thx for the help have a great day.