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

Tue Oct 28 21:25:57 UTC 2025

It seems to me that your major difficulty might be that you are
distributing CAD files or the translation of them and that these are too
detailed for the Open Source usage. Removing internal fasteners, etc.,
might yield something that renders faster for simulation and can not be
sent to Xometry to duplicate a part.

On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com> wrote:

> 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> 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> 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> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> [image: A black and grey logo Description automatically generated]
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Please note that this message may contain confidential information. If
>>>> you have received this message by mistake,
>>>> please inform the sender of the mistake, then delete the message from
>>>> your system without making,
>>>> distributing or retaining any copies of it. Although we believe that
>>>> the message and any attachments are free
>>>> from viruses and other errors that might affect the computer or IT
>>>> system where it is received and read,
>>>> the recipient opens the message at his or her own risk. We assume no
>>>> responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the receipt or use of
>>>> this message.
>>>>
>>>> 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/>
>>>> .
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> Please note that this message may contain confidential information. If
>>>> you have received this message by mistake, please inform the sender of the
>>>> mistake, then delete the message from your system without making,
>>>> distributing or retaining any copies of it. Although we believe that the
>>>> message and any attachments are free from viruses and other errors that
>>>> might affect the computer or IT system where it is received and read, the
>>>> recipient opens the message at his or her own risk. We assume no
>>>> responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the receipt or use of
>>>> this message. When we process personal data relating to physical persons,
>>>> such processing will meet the requirements of applicable data protection
>>>> legislation and will be in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
>>>> <https://www.teradyne.com/privacy-statement>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> The opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and not
>>>> necessarily those of the Open Source Initiative. Official statements by the
>>>> Open Source Initiative will be sent from an opensource.org email
>>>> address.
>>>>
>>>> License-discuss mailing list
>>>> License-discuss at lists.opensource.org
>>>>
>>>> http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bruce Perens K6BP
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Bruce Perens K6BP
>>
>
>
> --
> Bruce Perens K6BP
>

-- 
Bruce Perens K6BP
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org/attachments/20251028/f17b3180/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Outlook-A black an.png
Type: image/png
Size: 17311 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org/attachments/20251028/f17b3180/attachment-0001.png>