Rights restrictions & Zipcode Data

[riordan]

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. The sample code, the documentation, and the trademarks/logos provided on this site and in hardcopy form are the intellectual property of USPS protected under U.S. laws. The information and images presented may not be reproduced, republished, adopted, used, or modified under any circumstances.

What's the deal with rights restrictions on zipcodes? Just governed by Terms of Service or is there another rights regime in place?

Are there redistribution limits placed on licensees?

[tmcw]

@sbma44 knows the full answer here: my summary is

• Both USPS and US Census have some control / ownership of this data
• They are limited by statute from releasing it
• Thus the raw data never makes its way out.

[sbma44]

I think those restrictions only apply to addresses.

Here's what I think is the relevant portion of title 13 (note the limitation on other uses of address data) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=%28address%29+AND+%28%28title%3A%2813%29%29%29&f=treesort&fq=true&num=2&hl=true&edition=prelim&granuleId=USC-prelim-title13-section16

The USPS title 39 limitation is easier to spot:
http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=%28address%29+AND+%28%28title%3A%2839%29%29%29&f=treesort&fq=true&num=3&hl=true&edition=prelim&granuleId=USC-prelim-title39-section412

Either way, it's clear that these titles are perceived as limitations within government (check out this lovely powerpoint diagram).

Zipcode data is broadly available(ish) but ZIP+4 costs $990/year. This is the order form. I don't think there is particularly tight limitation on redistribution (though there is a special purchase mechanism for reselling, IIRC, so maybe I just don't see the license terms). But in practice the ZIP+4 data changes fast enough and $990 is a small enough sum that I don't think many people work to liberate this stuff.

[riordan]

@sbma44 which of us is going to register with USPS and see if there's anything prohibiting paying the $990/yr and redistributing?

[iandees]

I've tried it with their address API and one of the first things in the agreement when you sign up is a non-redistribution agreement.

[sbma44]

@riordan zip+4 is on our to-do list so we'll be able to confirm by & by, but I don't have an ETA

[riordan]

@sbma44 What's the latest on this? I'd love to know more about how I can help out on liberating Zip+4.

[sbma44]

Sadly, I don't think there's any liberating to be done -- coughing up the $990 is the next course of action for me, when we commit to adding zip+4 to our geocoder.