Map Data Ownership Law
The Map Data Ownership Law carries 5 published figures read from 5 sources' own pages, from 15 to 125 year, read 28 October 2026.
Read in full on 28 October 2026: 5 of 4 named sources state a figure; 2 state none.
By jurisdiction
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| jurisdictionGB | 70year | 15 to 125year | 4 |
| jurisdictionUS | 95year | 95 to 95year | 1 |
The figures, source by source
A figure gets one row here: the source whose page states it, the page itself and our read date. We add no figure of our own.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDPA 1988 s163: Crown copyright | 125year | GB | 2026-10-28 |
| 17 U.S.C. 302: duration of copyright | 95year | US | 2026-10-27 |
| CDPA 1988 s12: duration of copyright | 70year | GB | 2026-10-08 |
| The National Archives: Crown copyright | 70year | GB | 2026-10-28 |
| Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, reg 17: duration | 15year | GB | 2026-10-27 |
The source sentences behind the table (5)
- CDPA 1988 s163: Crown copyright, read 2026-10-28:
until the end of the period of 125 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made, or
- 17 U.S.C. 302: duration of copyright, read 2026-10-27:
In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first.
- CDPA 1988 s12: duration of copyright, read 2026-10-08:
Copyright expires at the end of the period of 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies, subject as follows.
- The National Archives: Crown copyright, read 2026-10-28:
Copyright in a work which has been assigned to the Crown lasts 70 years after the death of the person who created it.
- Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, reg 17: duration, read 2026-10-27:
17.—(1) Database right in a database expires at the end of the period of fifteen years from the end of the calendar year in which the making of the database was completed.
Pages that state no number
We read 2 named sources end to end on the dates shown and found no figure we could use. They count as not published; we never estimate for them.
- 17 U.S.C. 105: works of the United States Government, read 2026-10-28: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Ordnance Survey: public sector licensing guide, read 2026-10-28: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
The method in full
We read every named source's page ourselves, keep the exact sentence holding the figure, and record a fingerprint of the page as it stood on the read date.
5 of the 4 sources we could read publish a figure; 2 do not and are shown as not publishing; 17 were blocked or gone and are left out.
Summary figures (median, low, high, quartiles) count each source once, in year.
22 candidate sentence(s) failed review, each with its reason kept.
The fuller analysis planned for this dataset, beyond each source's own figure: one row per rule per jurisdiction: what the law protects in a map or geographic database (a pictorial or graphic work, a compilation, an artistic work, a database, the database right), who owns it first (author, employer, the Crown), how ownership moves (a signed writing), what the owner controls (copying, extraction, re-utilisation), the text and data analysis exception and its non-commercial limit, the open-database licence's share-alike rule, and the term in years (life plus 70, 95 for a work made for hire, 15 for the database right, 125 for unpublished Crown copyright); the rights a seller must hold before licensing a map for training.
A reviewer turned down 22 candidate sentences on these pages, and the reason for each is kept on record.
All 21 sources
- 17 U.S.C. 101: definitions, including pictorial and graphic works (maps)(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 102: subject matter of copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 103: compilations and derivative works(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 105: works of the United States Government(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 201: ownership of copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 204: execution of transfers(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- 17 U.S.C. 302: duration of copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s4: artistic works (maps, charts and plans)(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s3A: databases(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s11: first ownership(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s12: duration of copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s29A: text and data analysis for non-commercial research(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s90: assignment and licences(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- CDPA 1988 s163: Crown copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, reg 13: database right(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, reg 16: infringement(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, reg 17: duration(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- GOV.UK (IPO): exceptions to copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- The National Archives: Crown copyright(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- Ordnance Survey: public sector licensing guide(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
- Open Data Commons Open Database License v1.0(cited for reporting; the publisher's terms apply)
Cite it or embed it
The Map Data Ownership Law carries 5 published figures read from 5 sources' own pages, from 15 to 125 year, read 28 October 2026.
Read in full on 28 October 2026: 5 of 4 named sources state a figure; 2 state none.
Map Data Ownership Law, jurisdiction GB: median 70 year across 4 sources, read 28 October 2026.
Map Data Ownership Law, jurisdiction US: median 95 year across 1 source, read 28 October 2026.
Citation: "sellmapdatatoai.com Map Data Ownership Law", updated 2026-10-28, https://sellmapdatatoai.com/datasets/map-data-ownership-law/.
The data as a CSV (5 rows as of 2026-10-28)