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

Bruce Perens bruce at perens.com
Tue Oct 28 20:17:21 UTC 2025


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> 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,
> where the proposed license is provided as the license file (
> https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/LICENSE), and
> the motivation is provided as the README file (
> https://github.com/UniversalRobots/TERO-GL/blob/main/README.md).
>
>
>
> Best Regards
>
> *Morten Fruelund*
>
> *IPR Manager*
>
> Energivej 51
> 5260 Odense S
> Denmark
> Cell: +45 28 93 03 22
> morten.fruelund at teradyne-robotics.com
>
>
>
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>
>
>
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-- 
Bruce Perens K6BP
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