Are GPS coordinates copyrightable?

Cris A asked:


I am trying to find the copyright status of GPS coordinates. Are GPS coordinates facts, hence not copyrightable? If I was to copy a whole bunch of GPS coordinates from a hiking book, for example, to use in my own commercial website, is that copyright infringement?

If you know the answer to this question I would really appreciate it. Also, if you could provide legal texts to support your argument, I would appreciate it even more!

Thank you!!!
Thank you all for your answers so far! Let me give a clear cut example: I am working on a commercial website focused on hiking, among other things, and an important part of it is trailhead GPS coordinates. A hiking book, for ex, that contains this info will say that the entire content is copyrighted. However, If GPS coordinates are non-copyrightable facts, and I take these facts from their creative context, am I still infringing on their copyright? I understand that a publication (book or website) can claim copyright on their creative content (order, presentation, etc), but how can they claim copyright on facts? Again, I just don't know what the copyright status of GPS coordinates taken from a copyrighted content is. If anyone knows legal documents to support arguments either way, I would really appreciate it! Thanks in advance!!!

Car Auctions

what is a good GPS to purchase?


  • Gold Bracelets

    January 31st, 2010

    Mountain Gear

    GPS coordinates ARE NOT copyrighted materials. Those coordinates have been around for HUNDREDS of years. No one owns a reference to a location.

  • Men's Jewlery Rings

    February 1st, 2010

    Mountain Gear

    while the previous answers are correct in that GPS coordinates, in and of themselves, can not be copyrighted, I think you find that a particualr “compilation” of them will be very much copyrightable. Take English words, for example. Not one of the words in Steven King’s new novel can be copyrighted by itself (unless he coins a new word), but his particular compilation of words into a novel will be vey well copyrighted.

  • Camping Gear

    February 1st, 2010

    Mountain Gear

    GPS coordinates are not protected by copyright.

  • No trackbacks yet

Leave a Comment

* are Required fields