Cartographers have been adding fake streets and cities to maps for years to catch copyright infringers. These “trap streets” can include incorrect elevations or winding roads that are really straight. The AZ atlas of London is said to contain around 100 trap streets, while the bogus town of Argleton in northeast England appeared on Google Maps before being removed in 2009.
Though rarely acknowledged, cartographers have been surreptitiously inserting fictitious streets and cities into their maps for years with one purpose: to catch anyone who might want to co-opt the information and thereby infringe a copyright. Called “trap streets” or “copyright traps,” the misinformation can be anything from a winding road that’s really straight, to a mountain range shown in incorrect elevations.
Now you see it, now you don’t:
Inside its cover, a popular atlas for Athens, Greece issues a warning to would-be copyright infringers, telling them to watch out for pitfalls in driving guidance.
A BBC show called Map Man, broadcast in 2005, claimed that the AZ atlas of London contains around 100 trap streets. Apparently the guide’s “Bartlett Place” is actually Broadway Walk.
The bogus town of Argleton in northeast England existed on Google Maps, complete with hotels and businesses. No one is sure who set up the trap originally, but Google discovered and eliminated the non-existent city in 2009.
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