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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sir Whiskers" data-source="post: 860456" data-attributes="member: 6941">Matt, I did not mean to imply that someone should not be able to charge for access to OGC material, whether in pdf, print, or a database. In fact, I have no problem if the discussion centers around how much to charge for access to this db. It seems to be a massive undertaking and I'd expect whoever did it to receive some sort of recompense, if only to meet expenses.What I disagree with is the idea of a free db, that only "certain" individuals or companies should have access to, because they "deserve" it. If someone wishes to create such a db, he/she is allowed to limit access in any way they want - but the original poster (Geist) was discussing a tool to make using OGC material easier, which implies wide access. If the purpose of the db is to make money (nothing wrong with that), then charge for access. If the purpose is to promote the use of OGC material, to enrich the entire community, then it (IMHO) should have only those limitations that are absolutely necessary. Of course, the idea of making such material widely available seems to be the main reason publishers balk at supporting it, fearing lost sales.Which brings me to this question: why are companies declaring anything OGC? In some cases, the amount of OGC material affects a product's review, so that could be one reason. Another is the hope that some other publisher will use the material, which may indirectly promote the original product. But as soon as the discussion moves toward making OGC material readily available, people balk. Is it that OGC is not a threat, so long as it's too difficult to use in most cases? If so, is this a bit hypocritical - saying material is OGC, but only if someone really wants to work at it?I don't mean to generalize about the industry as a whole, or even a particular publisher. I do feel however, that this discussion has brought out a dichotomy in the way OGC is perceived within the industry - sort of, it's okay in small doses, but watch out if it ever gets organized. This reminds me a bit of the music industry and the internet - it was just another way to promote the product, until someone figured out how to (illegally) share music pretty much universally. Of course, the big difference is we're talking about OGC material here, aren't we?Lastly, I'm the last person to claim to be an expert on OGC or copyright law. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes    :rolleyes:"  data-smilie="11"data-shortname=":rolleyes:" />  If I've misunderstood the purpose or use of OGC material, feel free to correct me</blockquote>

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