At Google we like making products free, and most of our users seem to enjoy that too. So we were a little surprised that some companies asked if they could pay us for the Maps API (which, after geocoding, has been our most requested feature). In response to this popular corporate demand, we just launched Google Maps for Enterprise, which includes service-level agreements, full support and complete control over the user interface. And it has a different set of licensing terms for business and government customers who want to use the API in applications that are internal, non-publicly accessible or otherwise restricted by the current Maps API Terms of Use. (Interested customers may request pricing details.) Right now, it's only available in the U.S. and Canada; we're working to expand it as quickly as possible.
Of course, the Google Maps API continues to be totally open for free, publicly accessible sites, both non-profit & commercial. The new Enterprise product doesn't change the existing Google Maps API terms or product offering in any way.
