kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Miguel Angel Ajo Pelayo <miguelangel@xxxxxxx>]

I can be wrong, but, anything that's been designed by an author, has
authorship, and it makes it have copyright.

I understand that for the footprints, and for the schematic symbols,
they will mostly come from IPC/JEDEC or
the datasheet. But even in the work of creating symbol libraries it's
always a little artistic part, which may be
covered under copyright. (For example Spanish law covers for
derivative works -like translations, etc-, in the
end we're translating from datasheet to kicad..., -you know law isn't
black or white, but gray- )

So, I'm my opinion it's not that easy.

I think that something interesting could be including a field in the
libraries with the license model the author gave it,
and encourage the use of licenses as open as possible (if we want the
widest adoption for kicad).


Cheers,
Mike

2012/3/21 Brian F. G. Bidulock <bidulock@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Heiko,
>
> Footprints are not subject to copyright either.  They are not
> creative: (if they are any good) they are simple data gathered
> from JEDEC, IPC and manufacturer sources.  The same applies to
> standard symbols used in a schematic library.
>
> It's not worth worrying about: really.
>
> --brian
>
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2012, Heiko Rosemann wrote:
>>
>> Let me make a more general comment: I think this may be different in
>> different countries. Plus, depending on the country, the authorities
>> may or may not accept "there is no international copyright protection
>> on PCBs" when someone sues someone else about violating some license
>> with the help of kicad.
>>
>> So what I am saying is we should mention countries along with such
>> statements, and before starting a re-licensing process, try and find
>> out in which countries people would benefit from it.
>>
>> As you can see from my vagueness, I'm not really deep into the
>> legalese. But from my understanding, the GPL does not enforce anyone
>> to license their work under GPL if they are merely using the library
>> (as in using it in a schematic/board, similar to linking a code
>> library together with their program) but this is enforced if they are
>> doing work based on the library (as in distributing another library
>> using footprints from the GPLed library)
>>
>> I don't know if this clears anything up or further muddies the waters,
>> but I hope for the first,
>>
>
> --
> Brian F. G. Bidulock    ¦ The reasonable man adapts himself to the ¦
> bidulock@xxxxxxxxxxx    ¦ world; the unreasonable one persists in  ¦
> http://www.openss7.org/ ¦ trying  to adapt the  world  to himself. ¦
>                        ¦ Therefore  all  progress  depends on the ¦
>                        ¦ unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw ¦
>
>
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-- 

Miguel Angel Ajo Pelayo
http://www.nbee.es
+34 636 52 25 69
skype: ajoajoajo