... | @@ -43,6 +43,29 @@ for the sharing of hardware designs. In this release, we intend to give |
... | @@ -43,6 +43,29 @@ for the sharing of hardware designs. In this release, 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 are all these suffixes?
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In the software domain, there are three generally acknowledged licensing
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regimes for free and open source software: permissive, weak copyleft and
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strong copyleft. There are tastes and use cases for each option, and the
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same happens in hardware. We use the word "reciprocal" instead of
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"copyleft" because the underlying rights in our case are not restricted
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to copyright. So, when you use the licence, you need to add a Notice to
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your designs with one of the three following suffixes: S, L or P:
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- CERN-OHL-S is a strongly reciprocal licence. For example, if you
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release HDL files under CERN-OHL-S and then somebody uses those
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files in their FPGA, when they distribute the bitstream (either
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putting it online or shipping a product with it) they need to make
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the rest of the HDL design available under CERN-OHL-S as well.
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- CERN-OHL-L is a weakly reciprocal licence. For the example above, if
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you release your part of the design under CERN-OHL-L, somebody who
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distributes a bitstream which includes your part does not need to
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distribute the rest of the design files as well.
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- CERN-OHL2-P is a permissive licence. It allows people to take your
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code, relicense it and use it without any obligation to distribute
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the sources when they ship a product.
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#### Q: What is the scope of CERN OHL?
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#### Q: What is the scope of CERN OHL?
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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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... | @@ -254,29 +277,6 @@ sharing hardware designs. |
... | @@ -254,29 +277,6 @@ sharing hardware designs. |
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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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|
|
|
|
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In the software domain, there are three generally acknowledged licensing
|
|
|
|
regimes for free and open source software: permissive, weak copyleft and
|
|
|
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strong copyleft. There are tastes and use cases for each option, and the
|
|
|
|
same happens in hardware. We use the word "reciprocal" instead of
|
|
|
|
"copyleft" because the underlying rights in our case are not restricted
|
|
|
|
to copyright. So, when you use the licence, you need to add a Notice to
|
|
|
|
your designs with one of the three following suffixes: S, L or P:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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- CERN-OHL-S is a strongly reciprocal licence. For example, if you
|
|
|
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release HDL files under CERN-OHL-S and then somebody uses those
|
|
|
|
files in their FPGA, when they distribute the bitstream (either
|
|
|
|
putting it online or shipping a product with it) they need to make
|
|
|
|
the rest of the HDL design available under CERN-OHL-S as well.
|
|
|
|
- CERN-OHL-L is a weakly reciprocal licence. For the example above, if
|
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|
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you release your part of the design under CERN-OHL-L, somebody who
|
|
|
|
distributes a bitstream which includes your part does not need to
|
|
|
|
distribute the rest of the design files as well.
|
|
|
|
- CERN-OHL2-P is a permissive licence. It allows people to take your
|
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|
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code, relicense it and use it without any obligation to distribute
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the sources when they ship a product.
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#### Q: How should I handle Notices?
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#### Q: How should I handle Notices?
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In general, it is good to keep notices in the design files as simple as
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In general, it is good to keep notices in the design files as simple as
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