William Bright, a 27-year-old web design expert, has successfully executed an incredibly appealing idea: creating a digital map that showcases the New York subway system, which iPod users can download for free to use on their devices.Bright launched this iPod-specific map website in early August 2005, and since then, he has expanded his free subway map download service to other locations, including Berlin, Boston, Paris, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Washington D.C.
Shortly after the website went live, more than 50,000 users visited the site to download maps according to their needs.
However, the legal counsel for the New York City Department of Transportation recently sent a letter requesting that Bright immediately remove the New York subway map from his website. On September 21, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) company also sent Bright a letter demanding the immediate removal of the Bay Area subway map download service.
Both agencies stated that Bright had used subway maps designed by them, and distributing them for free to iPods was a copyright infringement and illegal.
Bright, who currently works for the online magazine Nerve.com, promptly complied with the requests but expressed great disappointment at the decision of these two authoritative agencies. Bright noted that his website is non-profit, and he earns a maximum of $1 per day from some small ads displayed on his site: “This is just a fun project for everyone.” He mentioned that he had invested a lot of time and effort into creating the digital subway maps and had to continuously redesign his free service to be compatible with the newly released iPods.
A representative from the New York City Department of Transportation later stated that the agency would agree to let Bright post the subway map online, but with a licensing fee of $500 per year. Bright worriedly exclaimed, “What will happen to my free service when every city demands $500?” The Bay Area Rapid Transit company is also hesitating to decide whether to allow Bright to repost their map online, as some changes are forthcoming to that map.
However, not everyone has turned their back on Bright’s clever initiative. Some companies holding the copyright to subway maps have “turned a blind eye” in a way that suggests tacit approval for Bright to post his maps online.
Users interested in trying out Bright’s free service can visit here.
HOÀNG HẢI (According to AP)
