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Washington DC!
September 30, 2005
The Washington DC WMATA has just sent me a license to use their Metro map for FREE! Everyone go to DC and ride the metro! It’s wonderful and clean and effective! This sets a wonderful precedent and I hope other cities understand, as WMATA does, that these are for the public’s benefit, not my own wallet’s!WMATA’s email after the jump!
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New York Update (or, Five Hundred Dollars?)
September 29, 2005
I received word back from the New York MTA regarding my request for a license. It looks like it’s going to run me (or us) $500 for what appears to be a one-year license. With this license I’ll be able to offer the official NYC MTA Subway Map here for you to download and use for free. I cannot sell it. Not even to raise money for the license.Now here’s the deal. The site doesn’t have that kind of money yet. I’ll be honest and thanks to ad revenues and a few VERY generous PayPal donations we’re almost up to $450. The way I see it, we have a few options:
1) I CAN use that money towards acquiring a license, which will then put me and the site in the hole again when it comes to domain name and hosting fees. This will mean the site’s bank is down to zero and, should any other city want to charge for a license, prevent us from going forward on other things.
2) I can tell the MTA thanks, but no thanks and design my own map. It turns out the map that I had designed is still too similar to the official map and they’d see it as an infringement on their copyright, so I’d have to design it again. The are pros and cons to this one. The pro is that it’s ours to do with what we like. The con will be that it won’t look much like the official map and will therefore require some retraining on your part as the map reader to interpret.
3) I can hold an “Acquire an MTA License” fundraiser! We could raise $500 separate from the money that’s been taken in now (or in addition to it) to raise the money for the official license. Again, this will set precedence for other license charges in the future… so would that mean more fund raisers?
Comment below for your thoughts, or leave feedback. Your input will be aiding in my decision on what to do, so please speak up!
The MTA’s note is below the jump…
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An update of sorts
September 28, 2005
So I pulled Chicago from the site for a little while. No, I didn’t receive a cease-and desist. Instead, in light of all of the cease-and-desists I have received, I figured I’d be proactive and start requesting licenses of cities here in the US. I’ll go overseas afterward. So I’ve started with Chicago. The CTA has received my formal letter of request and, as an act of good faith, I’ve taken down the map until I’ve received the license. It’s looking pretty good for the license, by the way.
I’ve also spoken again to the New York MTA’s lawyer in charge of my license request. He says they are deliberating on it. Hopefully, within the next week or so, we’ll have heard back from them regarding the official map. I have also requested that they take a look at my own map, designed by me, to see whether or not it violates their copyright. Hopefully I’ll have something up soon.
Other than that, the site will be a little quiet until next week. I am currently moving apartments and will be offline until Tuesday. Don’t worry, I still check emails during the day at work but cannot actally work on the site until I get home. I’ve received a whole bunch of requests and submissions. I have not ignored you if you’ve sent in a request or submission, I’ve just had my hands full.
Thanks for all the feedback though! It’s all positive and certainly uplifting!
— Little Bill
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Crash!
September 26, 2005
So, the sheer volume of traffic has crashed the site! Many thanks to Wired News, CNet’s News.com and TUAW.com, and the many other sites that have linked to me!
I may soon have to upgrade the hosting option with iPodSubwayMaps.com to something that will run me around $360/yr, so the ad revenue that’s been rolling in today thanks to traffic will be covering the costs! Glad to know that even with all of this traffic, the site can pay for itself!
Honestly I feel so inspired that you all love these maps so much. I hope to continue to make these for you as long as I can… cease and desists won’t keep this site down!
— Little Bill
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San Francisco
September 23, 2005
In case you missed it, I deisgned my own version of the San Francisco BART map. This one I can post because it is my own design and therefore I hold the copyright for the map. However I’m offering it up there for anyone to use and modify, as you will see on the download page. Take a look and enjoy the maps on the site! As always, our maps are free to download but if you’re enjoying them please, please donate with the PayPal link at the top-right corner of the site. Even the smallest donations go towards the site. -
Help! Help! I’m being repressed!
September 22, 2005
First New York City, now San Francisco. I’ve received a cease and desist letter from the website manager of the San Francisco BART. This is the second one in a week now. The New York City cease and desist is now online as well.Well folks, this is rather unfortunate. I have responded to both the NYC MTA’s lawyer, as well as the San Francisco website manager hoping to resolve this issue. I hav responded in good faith in attempts to bring the subway maps back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime I am currently designing my own NYC Subway Map (see previous entry) and hope to have it available for the iPod Photo and Nano within the next 48 hours, as I finish up the final touches on the map.
ADDENDUM:
Mr. Bright:
We understand that there is general interest in the [San Francisco] District’s System Map and are exploring various licensing opportunities for it. Consequently, we are not entering into such third party use arrangements at this time, but your suggestion will be added to the list of licensing/use scenarios under consideration.
We do wish you the best in your endeavors and look forward to a conformation that the BART System Map treatments on your website have been removed.
Thank you.
ADDENDUM #2:
Map update: the San Francisco BART map is back online. This new version, available for both the iPod Photo and Nano, was designed by me over the last five hours and is therefore not subject to the cease-and-desist order from yesterday. As always, our maps are free to download but if you’re enjoying them please, please donate with the PayPal link at the top-right corner of the site. Even the smallest donations go towards the site. Yes, it’s three in the morning. Goodnight all.Leave some comments below! Let them know how you feel!
More on the new map and how I’m keeping it free after the jump below.
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New York Subway Map Update
September 17, 2005
So, as we know, the MTA here in New York gave me a cease and desist. I asked the lawyer who sent me the note to please assist me in finding a way to acquire a license to use the maps. I have not heard a response. This is not to say I won’t hear a response, it’s just that I haven’t yet.In the meantime, not having the New York subway map on the site is generating a good amount of feedback and requests. I really cannot send you the New York subway map.
HOWEVER!
This is not to say that I’m not working to resolve this issue. I am, as you can see, making my own version of the MTA map. This is taking quite some time, so bear with me. But when it’s finished it will be my own map through and through to do with how we please. There’s more information and a larger image of the map (in progress) after the jump below…
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Cease and Desist
September 14, 2005
I have received a message from the New York MTA to cease and desist offering the New York City MTA Subway Map for the iPod and the iPod Nano. I am hoping to resolve this issue with their marketing department but in the meantime, as an act of good faith, I have removed the maps from the site.
If, for some reason, a licence cannot be acquired, never fear! I’ll just make up a custom set of maps. I’d rather not, as I feel the real maps will be instantly recognizable on your iPod and you won’t have to retrain your mind to acquaint yourself with yet another NYC subway map. Plus, the advantage of the official map on the iPods is that, at any time, you can check the actual map against the one on your screen for confirmation.
Cross your fingers, folks. Sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime.
— Little Bill
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iPod Nano Map – New York City
September 11, 2005
In honor of September 11, 2001, I’ve made my first iPod Nano map the New York City one. I’d like everyone to take a moment and reflect upon the loss of people here, as well as everywhere else (DC, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, etc) and appreciate the lives they have. I’d like us to take a moment and appreciate the luxury we all have in life to even own an iPod — when really it’s the farthest thing from necessity we can ever have.This map was a challenge to make. The iPod Nano’s screen is about half the width of an iPod Photo/Color, but its pixel resolution is similar. Hopefully we’ll be able to make similar maps for other cities just the same. Enjoy the maps, all!
— Little Bill
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Philadelphia SEPTA Map
September 08, 2005
The Philadelphia SEPTA map is uploaded. Finally back making a map or two here in the US. I’ve had more requests come in and I’m still piling up the submissions for this weekend, hopefully.On another note, has anyone yet bought the iPod Nano? The screen resolution isn’t that bad at 176×132 pixels, but with only 1.5 inches diagonally across I’m wondering if maps are even worth putting on this thing. Will it be legible? If someone’s got it, I’m curious to know if I can send you a test map. Much as I think the Nano is cool, I really have no use for a second iPod. Not yet, at least. Volunteers comment below!
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Press
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Agencies would do well to find ways to work with folks with good ideas instead of just turning loose the lawyers.
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Might the MTA have overreacted and in doing so deprived commuters of something useful?
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The man's trying to do good in the world.