Andrew Geissler | 5199d83 | 2021-09-24 16:47:35 -0500 | [diff] [blame^] | 1 | The TAPR Open Hardware License |
| 2 | Version 1.0 (May 25, 2007) |
| 3 | Copyright 2007 TAPR - http://www.tapr.org/OHL |
| 4 | |
| 5 | PREAMBLE |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Open Hardware is a thing - a physical artifact, either electrical or |
| 8 | mechanical - whose design information is available to, and usable by, |
| 9 | the public in a way that allows anyone to make, modify, distribute, and |
| 10 | use that thing. In this preface, design information is called |
| 11 | "documentation" and things created from it are called "products." |
| 12 | |
| 13 | The TAPR Open Hardware License ("OHL") agreement provides a legal |
| 14 | framework for Open Hardware projects. It may be used for any kind of |
| 15 | product, be it a hammer or a computer motherboard, and is TAPR's |
| 16 | contribution to the community; anyone may use the OHL for their Open |
| 17 | Hardware project. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Like the GNU General Public License, the OHL is designed to guarantee |
| 20 | your freedom to share and to create. It forbids anyone who receives |
| 21 | rights under the OHL to deny any other licensee those same rights to |
| 22 | copy, modify, and distribute documentation, and to make, use and |
| 23 | distribute products based on that documentation. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Unlike the GPL, the OHL is not primarily a copyright license. While |
| 26 | copyright protects documentation from unauthorized copying, modification, |
| 27 | and distribution, it has little to do with your right to make, distribute, |
| 28 | or use a product based on that documentation. For better or worse, patents |
| 29 | play a significant role in those activities. Although it does not prohibit |
| 30 | anyone from patenting inventions embodied in an Open Hardware design, and |
| 31 | of course cannot prevent a third party from enforcing their patent rights, |
| 32 | those who benefit from an OHL design may not bring lawsuits claiming that |
| 33 | design infringes their patents or other intellectual property. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | The OHL addresses unique issues involved in the creation of tangible, |
| 36 | physical things, but does not cover software, firmware, or code loaded |
| 37 | into programmable devices. A copyright-oriented license such as the GPL |
| 38 | better suits these creations. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | How can you use the OHL, or a design based upon it? While the terms and |
| 41 | conditions below take precedence over this preamble, here is a summary: |
| 42 | |
| 43 | * You may modify the documentation and make products based upon it. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | * You may use products for any legal purpose without limitation. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | * You may distribute unmodified documentation, but you must include the |
| 48 | complete package as you received it. |
| 49 | |
| 50 | * You may distribute products you make to third parties, if you either |
| 51 | include the documentation on which the product is based, or make it |
| 52 | available without charge for at least three years to anyone who requests |
| 53 | it. |
| 54 | |
| 55 | * You may distribute modified documentation or products based on it, if |
| 56 | you: |
| 57 | * License your modifications under the OHL. |
| 58 | * Include those modifications, following the requirements stated |
| 59 | below. |
| 60 | * Attempt to send the modified documentation by email to any of the |
| 61 | developers who have provided their email address. This is a good |
| 62 | faith obligation - if the email fails, you need do nothing more |
| 63 | and may go on with your distribution. |
| 64 | |
| 65 | * If you create a design that you want to license under the OHL, you |
| 66 | should: |
| 67 | * Include this document in a file named LICENSE (with the appropriate |
| 68 | extension) that is included in the documentation package. |
| 69 | * If the file format allows, include a notice like "Licensed under |
| 70 | the TAPR Open Hardware License (www.tapr.org/OHL)" in each |
| 71 | documentation file. While not required, you should also include |
| 72 | this notice on printed circuit board artwork and the product |
| 73 | itself; if space is limited the notice can be shortened or |
| 74 | abbreviated. |
| 75 | * Include a copyright notice in each file and on printed circuit |
| 76 | board artwork. |
| 77 | * If you wish to be notified of modifications that others may make, |
| 78 | include your email address in a file named "CONTRIB.TXT" or |
| 79 | something similar. |
| 80 | |
| 81 | * Any time the OHL requires you to make documentation available to |
| 82 | others, you must include all the materials you received from the |
| 83 | upstream licensors. In addition, if you have modified the |
| 84 | documentation: |
| 85 | * You must identify the modifications in a text file (preferably |
| 86 | named "CHANGES.TXT") that you include with the documentation. |
| 87 | That file must also include a statement like "These modifications |
| 88 | are licensed under the TAPR Open Hardware License." |
| 89 | * You must include any new files you created, including any |
| 90 | manufacturing files (such as Gerber files) you create in the |
| 91 | course of making products. |
| 92 | * You must include both "before" and "after" versions of all files |
| 93 | you modified. |
| 94 | * You may include files in proprietary formats, but you must also |
| 95 | include open format versions (such as Gerber, ASCII, Postscript, |
| 96 | or PDF) if your tools can create them. |
| 97 | |
| 98 | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |
| 99 | |
| 100 | 1. Introduction |
| 101 | 1.1 This Agreement governs how you may use, copy, modify, and |
| 102 | distribute Documentation, and how you may make, have made, and |
| 103 | distribute Products based on that Documentation. As used in this |
| 104 | Agreement, to "distribute" Documentation means to directly or indirectly |
| 105 | make copies available to a third party, and to "distribute" Products |
| 106 | means to directly or indirectly give, loan, sell or otherwise transfer |
| 107 | them to a third party. |
| 108 | |
| 109 | 1.2 "Documentation" includes: |
| 110 | (a) schematic diagrams; |
| 111 | (b) circuit or circuit board layouts, including Gerber and other |
| 112 | data files used for manufacture; |
| 113 | (c) mechanical drawings, including CAD, CAM, and other data files |
| 114 | used for manufacture; |
| 115 | (d) flow charts and descriptive text; and |
| 116 | (e) other explanatory material. |
| 117 | Documentation may be in any tangible or intangible form of expression, |
| 118 | including but not limited to computer files in open or proprietary |
| 119 | formats and representations on paper, film, or other media. |
| 120 | |
| 121 | 1.3 "Products" include: |
| 122 | (a) circuit boards, mechanical assemblies, and other physical parts |
| 123 | and components; |
| 124 | (b) assembled or partially assembled units (including components |
| 125 | and subassemblies); and |
| 126 | (c) parts and components combined into kits intended for assembly |
| 127 | by others; |
| 128 | which are based in whole or in part on the Documentation. |
| 129 | |
| 130 | 1.4 This Agreement applies to any Documentation which contains a |
| 131 | notice stating it is subject to the TAPR Open Hardware License, and to |
| 132 | all Products based in whole or in part on that Documentation. If |
| 133 | Documentation is distributed in an archive (such as a "zip" file) which |
| 134 | includes this document, all files in that archive are subject to this |
| 135 | Agreement unless they are specifically excluded. Each person who |
| 136 | contributes content to the Documentation is referred to in this |
| 137 | Agreement as a "Licensor." |
| 138 | |
| 139 | 1.5 By (a) using, copying, modifying, or distributing the |
| 140 | Documentation, or (b) making or having Products made or distributing |
| 141 | them, you accept this Agreement, agree to comply with its terms, and |
| 142 | become a "Licensee." Any activity inconsistent with this Agreement will |
| 143 | automatically terminate your rights under it (including the immunities |
| 144 | from suit granted in Section 2), but the rights of others who have |
| 145 | received Documentation, or have obtained Products, directly or |
| 146 | indirectly from you will not be affected so long as they fully comply |
| 147 | with it themselves. |
| 148 | |
| 149 | 1.6 This Agreement does not apply to software, firmware, or code |
| 150 | loaded into programmable devices which may be used in conjunction with |
| 151 | Documentation or Products. Such software is subject to the license |
| 152 | terms established by its copyright holder(s). |
| 153 | |
| 154 | 2. Patents |
| 155 | 2.1 Each Licensor grants you, every other Licensee, and every |
| 156 | possessor or user of Products a perpetual, worldwide, and royalty-free |
| 157 | immunity from suit under any patent, patent application, or other |
| 158 | intellectual property right which he or she controls, to the extent |
| 159 | necessary to make, have made, possess, use, and distribute Products. |
| 160 | This immunity does not extend to infringement arising from modifications |
| 161 | subsequently made by others. |
| 162 | |
| 163 | 2.2 If you make or have Products made, or distribute Documentation |
| 164 | that you have modified, you grant every Licensor, every other Licensee, |
| 165 | and every possessor or user of Products a perpetual, worldwide, and |
| 166 | royalty-free immunity from suit under any patent, patent application, or |
| 167 | other intellectual property right which you control, to the extent |
| 168 | necessary to make, have made, possess, use, and distribute Products. |
| 169 | This immunity does not extend to infringement arising from modifications |
| 170 | subsequently made by others. |
| 171 | |
| 172 | 2.3 To avoid doubt, providing Documentation to a third party for the |
| 173 | sole purpose of having that party make Products on your behalf is not |
| 174 | considered "distribution,"\" and a third party's act of making Products |
| 175 | solely on your behalf does not cause that party to grant the immunity |
| 176 | described in the preceding paragraph. |
| 177 | |
| 178 | 2.4 These grants of immunity are a material part of this Agreement, |
| 179 | and form a portion of the consideration given by each party to the |
| 180 | other. If any court judgment or legal agreement prevents you from |
| 181 | granting the immunity required by this Section, your rights under this |
| 182 | Agreement will terminate and you may no longer use, copy, modify or |
| 183 | distribute the Documentation, or make, have made, or distribute |
| 184 | Products. |
| 185 | |
| 186 | 3. Modifications |
| 187 | You may modify the Documentation, and those modifications will become |
| 188 | part of the Documentation. They are subject to this Agreement, as are |
| 189 | Products based in whole or in part on them. If you distribute the |
| 190 | modified Documentation, or Products based in whole or in part upon it, |
| 191 | you must email the modified Documentation in a form compliant with |
| 192 | Section 4 to each Licensor who has provided an email address with the |
| 193 | Documentation. Attempting to send the email completes your obligations |
| 194 | under this Section and you need take no further action if any address |
| 195 | fails. |
| 196 | |
| 197 | 4. Distributing Documentation |
| 198 | 4.1 You may distribute unmodified copies of the Documentation in its |
| 199 | entirety in any medium, provided that you retain all copyright and other |
| 200 | notices (including references to this Agreement) included by each |
| 201 | Licensor, and include an unaltered copy of this Agreement. |
| 202 | 4.2 You may distribute modified copies of the Documentation if you |
| 203 | comply with all the requirements of the preceding paragraph and: |
| 204 | (a) include a prominent notice in an ASCII or other open format |
| 205 | file identifying those elements of the Documentation that you |
| 206 | changed, and stating that the modifications are licensed under |
| 207 | the terms of this Agreement; |
| 208 | (b) include all new documentation files that you create, as well as |
| 209 | both the original and modified versions of each file you change |
| 210 | (files may be in your development tool's native file format, |
| 211 | but if reasonably possible, you must also include open format, |
| 212 | such as Gerber, ASCII, Postscript, or PDF, versions); |
| 213 | (c) do not change the terms of this Agreement with respect to |
| 214 | subsequent licensees; and |
| 215 | (d) if you make or have Products made, include in the Documentation |
| 216 | all elements reasonably required to permit others to make |
| 217 | Products, including Gerber, CAD/CAM and other files used for |
| 218 | manufacture. |
| 219 | |
| 220 | 5. Making Products |
| 221 | 5.1 You may use the Documentation to make or have Products made, |
| 222 | provided that each Product retains any notices included by the Licensor |
| 223 | (including, but not limited to, copyright notices on circuit boards). |
| 224 | 5.2 You may distribute Products you make or have made, provided that |
| 225 | you include with each unit a copy of the Documentation in a form |
| 226 | consistent with Section 4. Alternatively, you may include either (i) an |
| 227 | offer valid for at least three years to provide that Documentation, at |
| 228 | no charge other than the reasonable cost of media and postage, to any |
| 229 | person who requests it; or (ii) a URL where that Documentation may be |
| 230 | downloaded, available for at least three years after you last distribute |
| 231 | the Product. |
| 232 | |
| 233 | 6. NEW LICENSE VERSIONS |
| 234 | TAPR may publish updated versions of the OHL which retain the same |
| 235 | general provisions as the present version, but differ in detail to |
| 236 | address new problems or concerns, and carry a distinguishing version |
| 237 | number. If the Documentation specifies a version number which applies |
| 238 | to it and "any later version", you may choose either that version or any |
| 239 | later version published by TAPR. If the Documentation does not specify |
| 240 | a version number, you may choose any version ever published by TAPR. |
| 241 | TAPR owns the copyright to the OHL, but grants permission to any person |
| 242 | to copy, distribute, and use it in unmodified form. |
| 243 | |
| 244 | 7. WARRANTY AND LIABILITY LIMITATIONS |
| 245 | 7.1 THE DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED ON AN"AS-IS" BASIS WITHOUT |
| 246 | WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. ALL |
| 247 | WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY |
| 248 | WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND |
| 249 | TITLE, ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. |
| 250 | 7.2 IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW WILL ANY LICENSOR |
| 251 | BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, |
| 252 | INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF |
| 253 | THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE DOCUMENTATION OR PRODUCTS, |
| 254 | INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CLAIMS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
| 255 | INFRINGEMENT OR LOSS OF DATA, EVEN IF THAT PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE |
| 256 | POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. |
| 257 | 7.3 You agree that the foregoing limitations are reasonable due to |
| 258 | the non-financial nature of the transaction represented by this |
| 259 | Agreement, and acknowledge that were it not for these limitations, the |
| 260 | Licensor(s) would not be willing to make the Documentation available to |
| 261 | you. |
| 262 | 7.4 You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold each Licensor harmless |
| 263 | from any claim brought by a third party alleging any defect in the |
| 264 | design, manufacture, or operation of any Product which you make, have |
| 265 | made, or distribute pursuant to this Agreement. |
| 266 | #### |