Re: gEDA-user: licensing (GPL or otherwise) for hardware?

[Karel Kulhavy <clock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Dec 14, 2006 at 09:17:33AM +0100, David Kuehling wrote:
> >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Peters <devel@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
> 
> > To continue on the "GPL and BSD" topic ...  Just to clarify: if I use
> > GPLed or BSD-licensed tools to develop hardware, as well as using
> > GPLed symbols/footprints, am I obligated to open-source the hardware
> > design (the schematic, the PCB layout)?
> 
> Just my two cents:
> 
> I once asked the author of the Lout typesetting system about whether the
> output PostScript files wouldn't be covered by GPL since they obviously
> contained the GPLed PostScript prologue of Lout.  IIRC I was told I
> could run the files through "ps2ps" which would remove any literal
> PostSript code.  Since the output of a program won't fall under the
> program's copyright the result wouldn't be covered by GPL.
> 
> For PCB that might be the same: if you distribute gerber files, you
> distribute the *output* of PCB, which obviously doesn't contain literal
> code from the footprints.  If you distribute a .pcb-file, that is

What about "derived work"? Isn't a Gerber derived work from the PCB?
If someone paints a painting on canvas and I make a digital shot, it will
be a different object (painting on canvas vs. data in a memory card),
but it represents the same work and is covered by the copyright too.

CL<

> different though.  For M4-generated elements, you are in some way
> distributing "output" but in some way a literal copy.
> 
> GCC has clarifications for their runtime support library.  Which seems
> to be called a license's "runtime exception".  Symols/footprints seem to
> need something like that.  And if I understand DJs mail correctly that't
> excactly what a "usage license" would be.  Maybe just make it a "usage
> exception" addendum?  Also see this link about g++ run-time :
> 
> http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/17_intro/license.html
> 
> regards,
> 
> David
> -- 
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> 
> 
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