From Google's terms of service:
What about exporting the imagery for use as a backdrop in drawings (w/ or w/out the copyright and logo tag)? That's farther down the slippery slope for sure and clearly a breach of the TOS. Where does that fall on the ethical spectrum?
I know where I stand, but I am curious to hear others' opinions.
Is it ethically acceptable to even glance at project related imagery while considering conceptual aspects of a design? Does looking at the imagery for use in planning constitute "use"?. If so, I am guessing this portion of the TOS is commonly violated.Photographic Imagery
The photographic imagery made available for display through Google Maps is provided under a nonexclusive, non-transferable license for use only by you. You may not use the imagery in any commercial or business environment or for any commercial or business purposes for yourself or any third parties.
You may not copy, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, translate, modify or make derivative works of the imagery, in whole or in part. You also may not rent, disclose, publish, sell, assign, lease, sublicense, market, or transfer the imagery or any part thereof or use it in any manner not expressly authorized by this agreement.
By using Google Maps, you do not receive any, and Google and/or its licensors (if any) retain all ownership rights in the imagery. The imagery is copyrighted and may not be copied, even if modified or merged with other data or software.
What about exporting the imagery for use as a backdrop in drawings (w/ or w/out the copyright and logo tag)? That's farther down the slippery slope for sure and clearly a breach of the TOS. Where does that fall on the ethical spectrum?
I know where I stand, but I am curious to hear others' opinions.