I need something like Google-maps, usable on a commercial project. Can I use GoogleMaps? What if they should change the terms of service? Would I be better with somethin elike Open Street Map?
I need full coverage for North America, but also for Europe and Asia.
Which might be best? Thanks
Google does not own the data, they are themselves licensees of Tele Atlas. This Wikipedia page has details about the deal, that may be enough to answer your question.
Yes, the terms could change anytime. Yes, perhaps what you want to do is already forbidden.
OpenStreetMap is not reliable enough yet for most uses. It's a great pastime though if you have a GPS and like this sort of thing (I do).
If you gave more details in your question someone would be able to provide a more specific answer.
I think to avoid using Google Maps based on concerns over changes to the terms of service would be a mistake. Google Maps is very well established and for Google to compromise the service in some way, would mean alienating a massive number of people, something Google is certainly not going to do.
From a technical standpoint, I talk about my reasons for using Google Maps here.