... | @@ -139,6 +139,16 @@ thus limit licence adoption, but it is an issue which should be |
... | @@ -139,6 +139,16 @@ thus limit licence adoption, but it is an issue which should be |
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understood and discussed before a final decision is made for this
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understood and discussed before a final decision is made for this
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version.
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version.
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#### Q: I am a user of CERN OHL version 1.2. What are the main changes introduced by this new version?
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A: Version 2 of the CERN OHL improves on version 1.2 in various respects:
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* The new version comes in three variants: strongly reciprocal, weakly reciprocal and permissive. Reciprocal licences stipulate that changes to a design must be fed back to the community, for everybody to benefit from them. Permissive licences do not impose this condition. In this way, CERN OHL v2 caters for the different collaborative models currently used in Open Source Hardware projects.
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* In the reciprocal variants, it is very important to clarify the scope of reciprocal obligations. By introducing the concepts of "Available Component" and "External Material", plus the already-existing concept of "Product", the new version makes a special effort to clarify what sources should be shared in both the -S and -W variants.
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* CERN OHL version 1.2 included a patent licence, i.e. a promise by the licensor that (s)he will not sue a licensee for patent infringement as regards the design licensed under CERN OHL. Version 2 adds a reciprocal clause for this patent licence: if a licensee sues a licensor for patent infringement, (s)he loses all the rights granted by the licence.
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* In licence 1.2 we did not make a special effort to cater for Hardware Description Language (HDL) development as used in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design. As we became convinced that there was no appropriate reciprocal licensing regime for HDL, we made sure that CERN-OHL-S and CERN-OHL-W can provide a good solution for FPGA and ASIC designers with a reciprocal mindset.
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* Version 2 makes a special effort to maximise the chances that the recipient of a physical product will get access to the design files for that product. It does this by granting the licensor the possibility of embedding a URL or another reference in the object itself, and establishing that downstream licensees should respect that notice and update it as applicable if the design is changed.
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* The new version provides a grace period of 30 days for licensees which infringe in terms. If they come into compliance within 30 days after receiving a notification from the licensor, their rights are reinstated. This is meant to help with cases in which a licensee infringes the terms of the licence inadvertently.
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## Questions about hardware licensing
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## Questions about hardware licensing
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