I found the guide to adding enhanced scenery on msfsaddons. 
I’ve started to follow the process, but noticed that it involves downloading satellite imagery (pretty obviously), from a source such as Google Maps. 
 

Does anyone know whether this violates any terms of use or copyright?

I wouldn’t want my first venture into the sim world to be at all dodgy...

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by Dharma66
Title correction

This is related to the terms and conditions of the photo provider, like Google.

In the X-Plane world, using photo scenery that was created with tools like Ortho4XP which perform mass downloads of Google Maps images has been become quite common, but I still think the legal status is somewhat blurry. One freeware provider of photo scenery, ZonePhoto, had even asked Google for permission, but from what I remember (it was a few years ago), never got a _detailed_ answer on that, just some standard texts. There was once a discussion on x-plane.org about that, but I can't find it.

But if in doubt, I would not do it, or at least, not provide it in the Internet to others.

(In fact, that's also a reason why I like MFS so much: It includes photo scenery already and I can use it during the flight without any legal concerns, which bother me even if nothing actually happens.)

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by MarioDonick

Here's what I found on Reddit.

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Hey all.

So my plan originally was to use Google Maps to fill in landmarks but I have spent some time clarifying with Google if they would allow us to do this and they straight up told me no we can’t do this.

No, you may not use output from Google Earth, Google Earth Pro and Earth Studio to reconstruct 3D models or create similar content, or to create other content, product(s) or service(s) that may violate our Terms of Service.

Which has kinda put a massive hamper on our project, I mean we could still just do it but the chances are Google would seek action to remove the content and it’s kinda pointless to fight them.

So unless anyone has any other ideas I think this won’t work out for us 😞

Link

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by FAZZ3

Thanks for this. Sad, but I’d rather be sad than sued. 

I wonder then how it's possible that Google can pass my house, photograph it and then put it on StreetView without me asking first if it's OK to be published?

I can ask to make it blurry if i want privacy but they don't ask first if it's OK, they just put it up. The power of the big ones in the industry?

At least in the U.S., if you take a photo of someone’s house from a street or other public place, showing only that which could be seen by someone in that public place, it's considered legitimate and can be done without the owner's permission. And the resulting image is copyrightable by the photographer, meaning he or she can out it to any editorial purpose they wish…as well as preventing anyone else from using it. If you don't like it, hey, you can always set up your own fleet of thousands of camera cars and create your own app of every street view in the world. 

20 minutes ago, Lange_666 said:

I wonder then how it's possible that Google can pass my house, photograph it and then put it on StreetView without me asking first if it's OK to be published?

I can ask to make it blurry if i want privacy but they don't ask first if it's OK, they just put it up. The power of the big ones in the industry?

Because your house and street are publicly viewable. its not your house that’s protected by copyright, it’s the images taken by someone. 
 

Copyright is about protecting the effort of people’s and companies’ works and efforts, not protecting privacy. And as mentioned, the view of your house from the street isn’t private anyway. 

 

 

38 minutes ago, FAZZ3 said:

No, you may not use output from Google Earth, Google Earth Pro and Earth Studio to reconstruct 3D models or create similar content, or to create other content, product(s) or service(s) that may violate our Terms of Service.

People are confusing two different things.  Personal and private use of publicly available data is not illegal, unless the data itself is illegal, (like child porn). The re-publishing or selling of that data in original or modified form would nearly always violate the 'Terms of Service'..

The important words here are 'that may violate our Terms of Service'. It's the standard terminology, used to cover themselves, with minimum effort.

It does not mean you can never do any of these things. It means you are not allowed to do them in a way which violates the 'Terms of Service'. Like re-publishing their images for others to use, or selling them, or using them for your own public display.  Their is nothing to stop you using publicly available imagery from Google to view and use on your own pc, purely for private personal purposes. 

 

39 minutes ago, Biggles2010 said:

 

 

People are confusing two different things.  Personal and private use of publicly available data is not illegal, unless the data itself is illegal, (like child porn). The re-publishing or selling of that data in original or modified form would nearly always violate the 'Terms of Service'..

The important words here are 'that may violate our Terms of Service'. It's the standard terminology, used to cover themselves, with minimum effort.

It does not mean you can never do any of these things. It means you are not allowed to do them in a way which violates the 'Terms of Service'. Like re-publishing their images for others to use, or selling them, or using them for your own public display.  Their is nothing to stop you using publicly available imagery from Google to view and use on your own pc, purely for private personal purposes. 

 

Valid point. I believe the reply sent by Google to that user was worded very vaguely for this specific purpose. 

3 hours ago, Dharma66 said:

Thanks for this. Sad, but I’d rather be sad than sued. 

You really think Google has the time and energy to sue you for downloading some satellite? Only the process will cost them more then what they will get from you...

1 hour ago, roi1862 said:

You really think Google has the time and energy to sue you for downloading some satellite? 

No.