kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Mário Luzeiro <mrluzeiro@xxxxx>]

Just to add some related content to this conversation,

some time ago there was a discussion about this licensing stuff:
here: 
https://forum.kicad.info/t/contributing-to-update-of-vrml-librarys-to-step/5049/21
and here:
https://forum.kicad.info/t/contributing-to-update-of-vrml-librarys-to-step/5049/30

The base of the discussion was this article:
http://makezine.com/2014/06/25/us-legal-lessons-from-canadas-first-stl-ip-infringement-case/

I extracted two parts I found here interesting for discussion:
    "Unlike a functional object, a file is just code. And code is generally protectable by copyright. That means the even if the object is not protectable by copyright, the file may well be."
    "it may very well be that while code is generally protectable by copyright, the code that simply represents an object is not protectable by copyright."

In any case, I was thinking that if that kind of scripts are cover by the same license of KiCad, there is no more worries, since KiCad does not impose any restrictions on the use of the output /created files by the software it self. (eg: same way you create a gerber file with KiCad, you can create a 3D model file... ) BTW.. How does KiCad ensures the free use of the output files...?

Mario

________________________________________
From: Kicad-developers [kicad-developers-bounces+mrluzeiro=ua.pt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] on behalf of José Ignacio [jose.cyborg@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 26 February 2017 21:35
To: Cirilo Bernardo
Cc: KiCad Developers
Subject: Re: [Kicad-developers] [RFC] 3D models repository

One way would be to separate the input data to the scripts (dimension tables) and declare that public domain, then keep the scripts GPL but clarify that they will not impose on the output any more restrictions than the license of the input.

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 3:16 PM, Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
If the authors of the scripts agree, perhaps we can simply declare
the output Public Domain.  Since the output can't be meaningfully
modified without modifying the GPL-copyrighted scripts I believe
the protection of the scripts is sufficient. Since we can't change
licenses of existing models without the creators' permission, we
will probably have to cull models at some stage or else maintain
separate repositories for different licenses.

- Cirilo