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## CERN OHL v2 general questions
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## CERN OHL v2 general questions
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### Q: What does CERN OHL v2 try to achieve?
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#### Q: What does CERN OHL v2 try to achieve?
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A: The CERN Open Hardware Licence aims at providing a solid legal basis
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A: The CERN Open Hardware Licence aims at providing a solid legal basis
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for the sharing of hardware designs. In version 2, we intend to give
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for the sharing of hardware designs. In version 2, we intend to give
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Licensors different options for the sharing mechanism: strongly
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Licensors different options for the sharing mechanism: strongly
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reciprocal, weakly reciprocal and permissive.
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reciprocal, weakly reciprocal and permissive.
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### Q: What is the scope of CERN OHL v2?
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#### Q: What is the scope of CERN OHL v2?
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A: The licence is meant to cover Open Source Hardware (OSHW) designs. It
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A: The licence is meant to cover Open Source Hardware (OSHW) designs. It
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has no concern with proprietary developments. When we drafted it, we
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has no concern with proprietary developments. When we drafted it, we
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also made sure it can be used for free and open source software, even if
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also made sure it can be used for free and open source software, even if
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that is not its main aim,
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that is not its main aim,
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### Q: What are the rights the licence rests upon?
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#### Q: What are the rights the licence rests upon?
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A: The licence text makes no assumptions about the rights that will be
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A: The licence text makes no assumptions about the rights that will be
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invoked to sustain it. These may include but are not limited to
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invoked to sustain it. These may include but are not limited to
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copyright, patents, design rights, and database rights.
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copyright, patents, design rights, and database rights.
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### Q: Why is CERN doing this?
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#### Q: Why is CERN doing this?
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A: One of the most important parts of CERN's mandate is knowledge
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A: One of the most important parts of CERN's mandate is knowledge
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dissemination. OSHW is a natural way to disseminate hardware designs
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dissemination. OSHW is a natural way to disseminate hardware designs
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... | @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ such as CERN OHL is stewarded by an institution whose mandate and values |
... | @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ such as CERN OHL is stewarded by an institution whose mandate and values |
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can guarantee its stability over
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can guarantee its stability over
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time.
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time.
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### Q: Why not use existing licences such as GPL and any in the family of Creative Commons licences?
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#### Q: Why not use existing licences such as GPL and any in the family of Creative Commons licences?
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A: The CERN OHL was drafted with hardware in mind. The fact that the
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A: The CERN OHL was drafted with hardware in mind. The fact that the
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licensed materials are going to take part in the process of creating
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licensed materials are going to take part in the process of creating
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... | @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ licence to contain text that practitioners can easily relate to. The |
... | @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ licence to contain text that practitioners can easily relate to. The |
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CERN OHL strives to use clear terms and definitions that have easily
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CERN OHL strives to use clear terms and definitions that have easily
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recognisable and intuitive meanings for hardware designers.
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recognisable and intuitive meanings for hardware designers.
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### Q: Will you seek OSI and FSF approval/endorsement?
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#### Q: Will you seek OSI and FSF approval/endorsement?
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A: Yes, we want the CERN OHL to be as respectful of the four freedoms
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A: Yes, we want the CERN OHL to be as respectful of the four freedoms
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and the Open Source Definition as established free and open source
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and the Open Source Definition as established free and open source
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... | @@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ software licences. The process of getting endorsement or approval from |
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these respected institutions will surely make the licence
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these respected institutions will surely make the licence
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better.
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better.
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### Q: Is this licence a contract? If it is, what is the consideration in this contract?
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#### Q: Is this licence a contract? If it is, what is the consideration in this contract?
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A: Yes, the CERN OHL is a contract. Bare licences don't exist in civil
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A: Yes, the CERN OHL is a contract. Bare licences don't exist in civil
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law countries. Both Licensors and Licensees have obligations under the
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law countries. Both Licensors and Licensees have obligations under the
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... | @@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ consideration. |
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## Questions about reciprocal hardware licensing
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## Questions about reciprocal hardware licensing
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### Q: Copyright does not cover hardware. How do you implement strongly reciprocal licensing in CERN OHL v2?
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#### Q: Copyright does not cover hardware. How do you implement strongly reciprocal licensing in CERN OHL v2?
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A: Roughly speaking, the hardware equivalent of a binary object in the
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A: Roughly speaking, the hardware equivalent of a binary object in the
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free and open-source software world would be a tangible object made
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free and open-source software world would be a tangible object made
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... | @@ -106,35 +106,54 @@ files. |
... | @@ -106,35 +106,54 @@ files. |
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## Questions about software
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## Questions about software
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### Q: A CERN OHL licensed design contains a processor running code. What are the implications on the code of using CERN OHL v2 for the hardware?
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#### Q: A CERN OHL licensed design contains a processor running code. What are the implications on the code of using CERN OHL v2 for the hardware?
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A: The CERN OHL license does not extend to the code running in that
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processor. The processor falls under the definition of "Available
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Component". So does the flash (or other) memory chip that may host the
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code prior to power-up. The CERN OHL has no concern with the contents of
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that flash. You could of course choose to licence that code under a Free
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and Open Source licence, e.g. GPL, but that is independent of your
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choice of licensing for the board as a hardware
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design.
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-----
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-----
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## Questions about FPGA and ASIC design
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## Questions about FPGA and ASIC design
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### Q: An ASIC or FPGA design is licensed under CERN OHL v2. What are the implications regarding proprietary primitives and macros used in the design?
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#### Q: An ASIC or FPGA design is licensed under CERN OHL v2. What are the implications regarding proprietary primitives and macros used in the design?
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A: Proprietary blocks readily available in the design tools fall under
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the definition of "Available Components" and it is therefore not
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required to ship them when you distribute the design sources or products
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based on those
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designs.
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#### Q: Is an FPGA bitstream a Product according to the definition of Product in CERN OHL v2?
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### Q: Is an FPGA bitstream a Product according to the definition of Product in CERN OHL v2?
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A: Yes, a bitstream results from the processing of source files and is
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therefore a
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Product.
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-----
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-----
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## Questions about patents
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## Questions about patents
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### Q: I find the section on patents a bit confusing. Can you explain to me in plain words what you are trying to achieve?
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#### Q: I find the section on patents a bit confusing. Can you explain to me in plain words what you are trying to achieve?
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-----
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-----
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## Questions about practical use of the licence
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## Questions about practical use of the licence
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### Q: What are all these suffixes?
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#### Q: What are all these suffixes?
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### Q: How should I handle Notices?
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#### Q: How should I handle Notices?
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-----
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-----
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## Questions about Termination
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## Questions about Termination
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### Q: What happens to the rights of the Licensees of a Licensor if the rights of the Licensor under this licence are terminated?
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#### Q: What happens to the rights of the Licensees of a Licensor if the rights of the Licensor under this licence are terminated?
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A: It's his rights as licensee that terminate. He is still a licensor,
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A: It's his rights as licensee that terminate. He is still a licensor,
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and therefore the rights of downstream licensees are not affected.
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and therefore the rights of downstream licensees are not affected.
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