[License-discuss] Proposal of new new open-source license for graphics (TERO-GL-1.0)

Mon Nov 3 08:33:37 UTC 2025

Hi Bruce

We acknowledge your point and will update the definition of the "Licensed Material".  Initially we suggest updating 1.5 by clarifying that declarative files form part of the licensed material and that both configuration and declarative files are excepted from the none licensed software.

Initially we suggest this update to 1.5, where inserts are indicated between squared brackets

1.5. "Licensed Material" shall mean the graphical files and documents, including STEP-Files (ISO 10303-21), Collada (.dae), STL files (.stl), GLB files (.glb), GLFT files (.glft), Jupiter Tessellation files (.jt), OBJ files (.obj), Polygon File Format files (.ply), E-plan files (.emp), electrical schematics, CAD files, and drawings, as well as configuration files [and declarative files] , scripts and other contents of these technical files, to which the Licensor has applied this License. For the avoidance of doubt and notwithstanding the foregoing, except for scripts, [and configuration and declarative files], software shall not be considered "Licensed Material".

Best Regards

Morten Fruelund
IPR Manager

Energivej 51
5260 Odense S
Denmark
Cell: +45 28 93 03 22
morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com<mailto:morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com>

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________________________________
From: Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 22:00
To: license-discuss at lists.opensource.org <license-discuss at lists.opensource.org>
Cc: Morten Fruelund <morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com>
Subject: Re: [License-discuss] Proposal of new new open-source license for graphics (TERO-GL-1.0)

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Coming back to your exclusion of software in 1.5, it seems that your intent might be that any computer program other than a interpritive script accidentally included in a distribution under the license is not itself licensed. However, this will run into interpretational difficulties, as the declarative files of 3d models are considered to be software - that's the word you used - even though they are not procedural computer programs. For simplicity of interpretation, licensed material should generally be defined as anything for which rights are legally protected. Effectively protecting procedural computer programs other than interpretive scripts would take a good deal more definition of exactly what material is to be protected, and I don't really see much value in going to that effort. I could, for example, trivially make a C or Rust language program into a "script".

On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 1:38 PM Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com<mailto:bruce at perens.com>> wrote:
In my discussions with proponents of various Open Hardware licenses, I have been careful to reinforce the point that a schematic copyright, absent of a patent which can actually be licensed, may restrict the copying and redistribution of the schematic, but not the manufacture of the documented device. This is to everyone's advantage, lest we start having attempted enforcement of schematic copyrights on books and licensing of our design output which is informed by them. Consider, for example, if Teledyne had to license Horowitz and Hill for the derivative use of Art of Electronics in its manufacture.

    Thanks

    Bruce

On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com<mailto:bruce at perens.com>> wrote:
In 3.1.2.2, When the OSD was created, we had source-code control systems, but they were not hosted online. These days an online git repository seems to be more than sufficient as a declaration of changes, and should be sufficient to fulfill a requirement to document changes. Requirement of an additional copyright notice is a good deal more oblique and not optimal.

In 1.5: specification that the licensed material consists of specific file formats excluding software seems likely to shoot you in the foot eventually because of the ephemeral nature of file formats, And this is also so specific to your application that there is no use for other parties to adopt the license and thus less incentive for OSI to approve the license.
An Open Source license will inevitably be applied to software, perhaps even by your own folks who don't have good access to counsel. You also list things that run awry of 17 USC 102(b) in the US and similar law in most other nations. Schematics are not generally held to be copyrightable. I don't see that OSI has an incentive to assist in protecting that which is not legally protected.

And then we get to the nature of graphics which can be used in simulation, but not manufacture. This seems to be that you intended another use restriction in contravention of the Fields of Endeavor clause - manufacturing certainly is one - but I haven't so far stumbled across the term that implements this.

    Thanks

    Bruce

On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 11:50 AM Morten Fruelund via License-discuss <license-discuss at lists.opensource.org<mailto:license-discuss at lists.opensource.org>> wrote:
I am representing Teradyne Robotics A/S, a division of Teradyne inc. (https://www.teradyne.com/), that provides robot arms (https://www.universal-robots.com/)  and autonomous mobile robots (https://mobile-industrial-robots.com/).

Teradyne Robotics A/S is proposing a new open-source license for graphics (TERO-GL-1.0), and I am reaching out to this forum to collect feedback on the proposed license before submitting the license for a formal review by the OSI.

The proposal can be found on this GitHub page: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL [github.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL__;!!GenOTVeOfQ!X_MhtBF1fbTtraP06YcP5_qdpku6V0ttBtadA-Ymamcus6Wf1dLZhud9rwJfp_Arx6O-lnBwXIN_HFF4lh-DQpDb32U$>,
    where the proposed license is provided as the license file (https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/LICENSE [github.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/LICENSE__;!!GenOTVeOfQ!X_MhtBF1fbTtraP06YcP5_qdpku6V0ttBtadA-Ymamcus6Wf1dLZhud9rwJfp_Arx6O-lnBwXIN_HFF4lh-DAreI5n0$>), and
the motivation is provided as the README file (https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/README.md [github.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/README.md__;!!GenOTVeOfQ!X_MhtBF1fbTtraP06YcP5_qdpku6V0ttBtadA-Ymamcus6Wf1dLZhud9rwJfp_Arx6O-lnBwXIN_HFF4lh-DEVnJ-Kc$>).

Best Regards

Morten Fruelund

IPR Manager

Energivej 51
5260 Odense S
Denmark
Cell: +45 28 93 03 22
morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com<mailto:morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com>

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If Universal Robots A/S processes personal data relating to physical persons, such processing will meet the requirements of applicable data protection legislation.
Please see our Privacy Policy here<https://www.universal-robots.com/about-universal-robots/privacy-policy/>.

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