False information of maps

[Malcolm Bull]

Can anyone remind me of the name which is given to deliberately false information, such as non-existent street and wrongly-spelled names, which map-makers put on their maps so as to be able to recognise where people have copied the maps?

[jorose]

I think "copyright trap" covers any case where false information is inserted as a "trap" for copiers (including by dictionary writers etc).

"trap street" for the specific case you mention.

[Malcolm Bull]

Thanks.  Traps will do, though I seemed to have something more exotic at the back of my mind from reading an article about the people who produce the London A-Z, a few years ago.

Malcolm

[venelow]

 To Malcom:

Easter Eggs.

Ven.

[stanmapstone]

Thanks.  Traps will do, though I seemed to have something more exotic at the back of my mind from reading an article about the people who produce the London A-Z, a few years ago.

Malcolm

Mentioned in this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street

Stan

[jorose]

Hmm, that suggests other possibilities like "paper street" and "phantom settlement"... I like the sound of "phantom street".  Sounds like the basis for a good detective novel.

[Zaphod99]

Has anyone used this concept to try and deter 'name collectors'? I doubt it has any legal value, but I  wonder what you think? Adding a warning statement to a tree profile saying that minor wrong data has been entered might encourage people to contact you rather than just take.

Zaph

[Maiden Stone]

Zaphod reply #6. Ancestry has inserted errors into my tree without any effort from me. The most frequent error is adding Leitrim to all my family from Mayo. There's a place called Mayo in County Leitrim. It also brought GF's 1st wife back to life.