Free Our Data

The Free Our Data campaign launched by the Guardian is mentioned in this month's Library and Information Update
There's to be a seminar on it at the Library & Information Show, though it's unclear whether this is in support of the campaign or something to do with a publisher called Latitude who presumably resell OS data.
I remember a database programme I had a while back that gave tide times for more or less all the whole world except Britain, the reason being that the Hydrographic Office who own the data wouldn't allow its use. This was crazy then...now in the world of Google maps, it is certifiable.