[
    {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "does%20foursquare%27s%20api%20license%20mean%20i%20can%27t%20use%20it%20in%20an%20app%20which%20uses%20osm%2Foverpass%3F"
    },
    {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": "Good question! In short: **yes** you *can* use Foursquare\u2019s API in an app that uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) / Overpass API, **but only under certain conditions**. Foursquare\u2019s license has specific restrictions that may affect how you integrate and distribute Foursquare data alongside other data sources, especially open-source ones like OSM. Here are the key points you need to know, plus what to watch out for:\n\n---\n\n## What Foursquare\u2019s License **Allows**\n\nFrom Foursquare\u2019s current \u201cPlaces API EULA\u201d (Self-Service) as of February 29, 2024:\n\n- You may develop, implement, integrate and use the Places API in your application, website, product or service that you own or control. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))  \n- You\u2019re allowed to call the API, retrieve Places Data, reproduce, display, transmit, distribute, and perform that data *as part of your app / service*. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))  \n- You can create external materials (reports, analytics, demos) using the data, so long as:\n  1. You provide proper branded attribution to Foursquare.  \n  2. You don\u2019t expose \u201cmaterial portions\u201d of the data to third parties (i.e. you can\u2019t publish large swaths of place data in bulk).  \n  3. The external materials are *not competitive* with Foursquare\u2019s current offerings. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))  \n\n---\n\n## What Foursquare\u2019s License **Disallows / Restricts**\n\nThere are several restrictions that could matter in your use case:\n\n- **Caching & data retention**:  \n  \u2023 For \u201cnon-enterprise\u201d (i.e. pay-as-you-go & sandbox) users, server-side caching is heavily restricted or disallowed; you can\u2019t store Foursquare data long-term or retrievably serve it outside the current session except under certain conditions. ([docs.foursquare.com](https://docs.foursquare.com/developer/reference/usage-guidelines?utm_source=openai))  \n  \u2023 Device caching (local to the user\u2019s device) may be more permissible. ([docs.foursquare.com](https://docs.foursquare.com/developer/reference/usage-guidelines?utm_source=openai))  \n\n- **Bulk access or redistribution**:  \n  You can\u2019t disclose or make available \u201cmaterial portions\u201d of Foursquare\u2019s data, or allow third parties to systematically query or obtain all or most of the data for a region/country/locality. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))  \n\n- **Combining with open-licensed data where share-alike terms apply**:  \n  Specifically in the Acceptable Use Policy, Foursquare\u2019s terms state you **may not** combine or use Foursquare services/data with other datasets or services that impose share-alike obligations (like OSM\u2019s license, which is the ODbL\u2014Open Database License). The clause prohibits integrating Foursquare data in ways that would \u201csubject the Foursquare Services to any \u2018share-alike\u2019 concepts\u201d or open database/data licenses. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/aup/?utm_source=openai))\n\n---\n\n## What That Means for Using Foursquare + OSM/Overpass Together\n\nHere are some scenarios to help clarify what\u2019s okay, borderline, and likely not allowed:\n\n| Scenario | Likely Allowed | Likely Disallowed |\n|---|---|---|\n| Using OSM tiles / base map + live Foursquare Places API queries (on demand)\u2014show results within your app, with attribution. | \u2705 Yes, this is pretty clearly allowed under the license. |\n| Caching Foursquare POIs on your server and combining/publishing them as a dataset under OSM\u2019s license or making them available for reuse under ODbL. | \u274c Likely disallowed\u2014exposing \u201cmaterial portions\u201d + creating a derivative dataset under a share-alike license conflicts with Foursquare\u2019s restrictions. |\n| Merging Foursquare data with OSM, then publishing that merged data under OSM\u2019s ODbL terms. | \u274c Not allowed\u2014Foursquare prohibits \u201csubject[ing] the Foursquare Services to share-alike concepts\u201d per their Acceptable Use Policy. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/aup/?utm_source=openai)) |\n| Using Overpass to get OSM data, display that, and separately using Foursquare\u2019s Places API for enriched metadata (e.g. photos, hours), within your app, without combining the data into a public database under ODbL. | \u2705 Probably okay\u2014if you keep the two data sources distinct and comply with Foursquare\u2019s attribution, caching, display, and non-share-alike requirements. |\n\n---\n\n## What You Should Do to Stay Compliant\n\nIf you plan to mix Foursquare\u2019s API with OSM/Overpass data, here are some recommendations:\n\n1. **Keep the data streams separate** where licensing terms differ: don\u2019t try to re-license Foursquare data under ODbL or merge it into an OSM database you plan to publish as open.\n\n2. **Use attribution properly**: for Foursquare data, you need \u201cPowered by Foursquare\u201d branding or some visible attribution. OSM also has its own attribution requirements. Make sure both are satisfied. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))\n\n3. **Mind caching**: do not server-side cache Foursquare data beyond what their license allows, unless you're an enterprise account that explicitly allows doing so. Trusted device/local caching may be okay. ([docs.foursquare.com](https://docs.foursquare.com/developer/reference/usage-guidelines?utm_source=openai))\n\n4. **Avoid creating a public dataset from Foursquare data**: you can use it in your app, but don\u2019t allow others to download large chunks of it or re-use it as a dataset, especially under an open license. ([foursquare.com](https://foursquare.com/legal/terms/apilicenseagreement/?utm_source=openai))\n\n5. **Read \u201cmaterial portions\u201d carefully**: this term isn\u2019t formally quantified, but you should assume that exposing a lot of Places Data (e.g. all pizza places in New York city for download) could count. Better safe than sorry.\n\n---\n\n## Conclusion\n\n- Using Foursquare\u2019s API within an app that also uses OSM/Overpass **is possible**, as long as you respect Foursquare\u2019s license (including the things you are *not* allowed to do).\n- The major red flags are: exposing bulk Foursquare data, merging and re-licensing Foursquare\u2019s data under ODbL (or similar share-alike), or violating caching or attribution rules.\n\nIf you tell me a more specific scenario (what your app does, how you fetch/store/combine data, how you distribute it), I can help you figure out whether *your* use case fits safely within Foursquare\u2019s rules. Do you want me to look at that for your app idea?"
    }
]