The purpose of this study is to provide a legal and institutional perspective for distributing and reusing GIS data in Korea. Along with the rapid growth of GIS market and demands on GIS service, legal and institutional issues for distributing, reusing and securing GIS data are arising. Each country has its own the law, policy and institution of GIS data that are directly related to intellectual property. After exploring laws and institutions regarding GIS in United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Korea(Act No.6201), this paper presents a guide for distributing and reusing GIS data in Korea.