Here’s something that I didn’t know was going on (alright, so there’s a LOT going on that I don’t know about) — Some mapmakers put fake streets and landmarks on their maps in order to assist in the identification of plagarised copies.
The Boston Globe is reporting that a street directory published by the South Boston Chamber of Commerce contains a few fictitious places intended to trap copyright violators. Some plagiarists have been caught & sent warning letters. However…
Apparently in 2001, in the UK The Ordnance Survey has won a £20m payout from the Automobile Association, after using sophisticated “fingerprinting” techniques to catch the motoring organisation copying its maps.
Hmm..I guess I’ll have to re-think the business plan for my map publishing empire.
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I think this is is a good idea…as long as I never plan a shortcut through a fake street.
if someone were looking at a map and came across a fake street, however, wouldn’t they stop trusting that map company right away?