I have modified many airports using SbuilderX and Google Earth ground textures, I have never uploaded any of these because I was worried about the Google copyrights.Does anyone know if Google would object? As long as I don't make and money doing this and credit Google for the use of their images...Geoff

I have modified many airports using SbuilderX and Google Earth ground textures, I have never uploaded any of these because I was worried about the Google copyrights.Does anyone know if Google would object? As long as I don't make and money doing this and credit Google for the use of their images...Geoff

Well... Someone that i know, was posted the same quest some time ago...--------------------------------------------------------What the folowing answers are true?A ) Forbiden, but we can use...B ) Is legal, but ... we cant use...C ) http://earth.google.com/support/bin/ans ... swer=21422D ) Of corse "yes"... but is ilegal... but we can use!E ) None of them---------------------------------------------------------Another good friend sugest:" ...we make a Poll and the most voted answer...wins! "So far we can see..... the cool "Google's Gang Bro's" became more.... "flexible". That's what we can understand from their " Legal Issues: Use of images".They say that we can use Googles photos in our works,... "but/only/if"... the Google's copyrigth are respect and we must provide the Google's logo on our works... ---> "You can personally use an image from the application (for example:... on your website, on a blog or in a word document) as long as you preserve the copyrights and attributions including the Google logo attribution".That's mean that we must start insert in our sceneries, advirtising banners/outdors like "POWERED by GOOGLE EARTH"?.... or "THANKS GOOGLE EARTH to MAKE THIS SCENERY MORE REAL"?... or Building wall Graffitis..." I LU

You cannot legally distribute BGLs that contain images from Google Earth or Google Maps... or Bing! ( Live Earth ), or Yahoo...You could write them for permission, but don't hold your breath. Google has never given this permission to any FS developer.The images in Google Earth are licensed by them. They do not even own the images... so you may need to get further permissions even if Google OKed it. The Tiles are "watermarked" with "Google", so they can identify the images.Undistributed images ( or their BGLs ) would be fine for your own use.Not only could Google object, but the Library Administrator might be angry if copyrighted imagery is found in uploaded files.Within the US, there are some very good free sources of imagery that can be redistributed.Dick

Hi, DickThanks a lot for the explanation to clarify this "never ending doubt/confuse" issue about use of copyrigth images that lots of people are asking from along the times...Another big doubt is: "... Can we use a photo from one of that services providers, in background starting point, and totaly over repaint, whith real textures from other free aerial photos to improve visual quality ??...." (obviously, there are information from the primitive undercoat picture that will remain visible... but the final result is something completly diferent from the original image.)... or explained from... "humanitary" way:"... You know, there are lots of countrys ( the "unlucky ones"... in Africa... South America... and remote Asia corners...) that those "service maps providers", provide very poor/bad satelite imagery cover... and... if that "unlucky ones" wanna have quality images for their sceneries, they start a painfull by hand "copy/past process" ( like a "photo blanket of remnants" ), to create wondering images "real look alike"... although the final result is 80%/90% diferent from local real ground.... The quest is: "they can free/sell upload their work??..."RegardsRoguespear

Hi Roguespear.If you use, for example, SBuilderX to draw vector lines and land/water polys, you have no worries. The imagery was only used as a template, and not part of the redistribution. What was distributed was not imagery.If the imagery was altered, and then distributed, it would be illegal by the terms set by Google. The imagery was still part of the final package."you must not (nor may you permit anyone else to): "... "copy, translate, modify, create a derivative work of, or publicly display any Content or any part thereof "From my viewpoint, what people do with these images is their own business. I'm not the Google police. But you do put yourself in an awkward position that might have bad consequences.I have read of Google forcing websites to delete content, and to stop distribution of programs that use their image tiles. I haven't read of them actually suing anyone or forcing criminal prosecution.Europe has far different laws regarding copyrights, as does much of Asia. So Google's terms of usage may not be valid in all situations. And, Google's usage of images from government sources, such as LandSat7, may actually nullify their terms... perhaps all their terms. That would be decided in court, and that's where we don't want to go.Rule of thumb:Don't use these images in distributed work, and you'll avoid ( possible ) problems.Dick

Roger that, Sir!!... Loud and clear!One more time, Dick, you give a good, valid and clean explanation to desmystify some... "foggy" tracks... used in the "imagery environment"Dick, the reason because I made these pertinent questions, is an effort to clarify all the new futures scenarists about the "mined fields" that will find in its future works.Either perhaps necessary to create in writing a manifesto or a moratorium on "the ethics of the use of images protected by copywrigth", to prevent that the coming generations of scenery creators for the FS, to always make the same questions

There are "free to use" images for New Zealand available for sure, so probably you'd probably find more if you just used Google to look for them. :(