I am looking to make a brochure that will contain maps of trails for bikes and hikers. The brochure will be distributed free in the local community. There is no intent of making profit from the brochure. There may be advertisements to cover the cost of producing the brochure. Will I be violating any copyrights to take screenshots of maps containing my trails?
I would like to use maps from gpsfiledepot used in "mapsource"?
What do others do to stay within the law on the copyrights of maps?
Thanks in advance for your help!
You should contact any map author that has produced a map you want to use for the screen shot. Their granting of permission will cover you legally. Keep a copy of that document for your proof as you publish.
There will be different license agreements for different maps, so I agree that you need to contact the author unless there is an agreement published here that specifically covers the map in question. For example, with my own maps you could not do what you describe without specific permission.
QuoteWill I be violating any copyrights ...
I would say most definitely you would be. Even if a 'mapset' downloaded from here does not specifically say it is copyrighted, it is obviously an intellectual creation of the author and is covered by international copyright law.
The licence/use conditions you agreed to before installing the mapset usually also restrict it to personal use. Even if not so stated, it should be obvious the author was not using his time and money to make a creation for others to freely use as they please.
As Indrid and Boyd have stated, it would be best to contact the appropriate map author(s) with specifics.
QuoteWhat do others do to stay within the law on the copyrights of maps?
Hopefully making their own maps and not stealing the work of others.
Ask Garmin how they would feel about this since they would make a sale if you used their data. Or one of the other publishers of digital (or printed) maps.
Get involved and make your own. The needed programs are free or low cost and you would have more control on the presentation and could use the map as you wish.
Try USGS's National Map server/service. You can create a map 'as you like it' using various layers/themes of public data.