Can a database format/schema be copyrighted separately from the data?
<p>I came across a map tile format which requires attribution for use, regardless of the license of the data it contains.  The format specifies how and what map features (roads, water, etc) should be included, but that's basically all it does.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://openmaptiles.org/schema/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">website</a> for the format says the following:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The vector tile schema describes how the vector data is organized into
  different thematic layers and which attribute and values each layer
  contains. This is useful for writing a map style and allows for
  alternative implementations of a schema.</p>
  
  <p>The OpenMapTiles schema is open (CC-BY) and you are free to use,
  extend or build upon the existing implementation (BSD license). <strong>Please
  reference OpenMapTiles if you build upon the schema.</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>It seems they're requiring I give them credit for rearranging my data according to their "rules".  Does this requirement have any legal force, since it doesn't cover the actual information stored with the format?</p>

<h2>Yes (to both questions)</h2>

<p>The schema is analogous to a cooking recipe. The list of ingredients (the data) is not copyright because it’s a list of facts but the method (schema) is subject to copyright.</p>

<p>Of course, executing a cooking recipe doesn’t breach copyright because you don’t actually copy the recipe - you follow it. However, implementing a database with a given schema necessarily involves copying that schema or creating a derivative work from it. You can only do this with the copyright holder’s permission which means complying with their licence.</p>

copyright data