Open Hardware Design License v1.0

Summary

• In the Preamble, we describe the scope of the licence, from where it is based or derived, and its completion status.
• In the Definitions, are clearly described all the Terms used in the Terms and Conditions and the hardware subject of this licence.
• In the Terms and Conditions are all itemized and described all the Conditions, in brief what you can do and what you can not with the licenced material.
• Finally are provided the warranty and the disclaimer notices.

Preamble

All hardware design work is released with a licence such that the author specifies how the work is redistributed and used. This can also be enforced through local government intellectual property rights.

The licence is meant to promote and aid collaborative work, free communication and the sharing of knowledge and know-how between hardware design users, developers and manufacturers.

This licence is based on various Open Hardware licences, with some of them based on revised version of the GPL, the GNU General Public licence.

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute a verbatim copy of this licence, but no-one may change it or distribute changed versions under the same name.

Definitions

• Hardware Design means:

1. Schematics. The Schematics and other human readable documents of a design or other works originally made available under a hardware design project. By Schematics is meant the human readable form of a design or other work that is suitable for making modifications, including all components that it contains.

2. Gerber files. Gerber files  and other machine readable files generated from schematics originally made available under a hardware design project. By Gerber File is meant a standard file used by Printed Circuit Board fabrication houses that contains information necessary for computer controlled machines to draw wires, drill holes, mill, and cut the Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

3. Diagrams. By Diagrams is meant image files depicting block diagrams of the components and subsystems of the covered design in a format readable by an image viewer of web browser.

4. Specifications. By Specifications is meant human readable descriptions of characteristics of a hardware design, including lists of component names, component manufacturers and the component manufacturer's part numbers with its reference and placement name in Printed Circuit Board layouts.

5. Additional Documentation. By Additional Documentation in this project and licence is meant any additional files, instructions, notes, drawings or machine readable files that are relevant to the design.
   

• You and Your in this licence is addressed to individuals or a legal entity where the law allows a group of natural persons to act as if it were an individual for certain purposes.

Terms and Conditions

• You may use, modify, copy and distribute verbatim copies of the hardware design as espressed in the definitions, in any medium provided that:

1. you publish along with each copy of the hardware design, this licence.

2. you keep intact all the notices that refer to this licence and to the absence of any warranty.

3.  you ensure that no third party can receive the hardware design here licenced without having read and agreed to the terms of this licence.
   

• You may, subject to the condition of this licence, manufacture the devices based on the hardware design and modified version but you must in each instance:

1. provide all the design material as here provided along with complete and accurate documentation of all the modifications, if the hardware design has been modified, completely and accurately document all modifications that you have made with the date and the author of each modification.

2. Within 1 month of the date of the hardware production, make publicly available on-line, in the form of electronic distribution, by your website, all the design material as specified in the definition section, including a copy of this licence to that material.

3. Any manufacturer who accesses this hardware design and bases any product upon it, must place in all promotional material, documentation, brochures, and notices in any prominent place, a reference to all contributors to the design.
   

• You may choose to offer, and to charge a fee for, support and modifications of the hardware design in respect of all the above terms.

• Version of the licence. The author may publish a revised and/or new version of this licence from time to time, to each version will be given a distinguishing version number. Once the covered Hardware Design has been published under a particular version of this licence, You may continue to use it under the terms of that version. You may choose also to use such Hardware design under the terms of any subsequent version of this licence.

Disclaimer of Warranty

THE SPECIFICATIONS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS". THE AUTHOR DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ABSENCE OF DEFECT AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTIES' RIGHTS IN RESPECT OF THE SPECIFICATIONS OR MODIFIED SPECIFICATIONS OR ANY HARDWARE THAT MAY BE BUILD OR MANUFACTURED BASED ON THE SPECIFICATIONS OR ON MODIFIED SPECIFICATIONS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF HARDWARE BUILT OR MANUFACTURED BASED ON THE SPECIFICATIONS OR ON MODIFIED SPECIFICATIONS SHALL BE WITH YOU. SHOULD THE SPECIFICATIONS OR MODIFIED SPECIFICATIONS PROVE TO BE DEFECTIVE, YOU SHALL ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY REPAIR OR CORRECTIONS TO THE HARDWARE.
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL THE AUTHOR OR ANY PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE SPECIFICATIONS AS PERMITTED HEREIN, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SPECIFICATIONS AND/OR THE HARDWARE, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

END OF licence

Author: Ken Sarkies

First created 20 December 2006.
Last Modified 20 December 2006