<div dir="auto">Hi Andrew,<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Lest you think this has just fallen into the abyss, I am still working through your licenses. Please continue sharing.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Thanks,</div><div dir="auto">Van</div><div dir="auto"><br><br><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="auto">__________________________<br>Van Lindberg<br><a href="mailto:van.lindberg@gmail.com">van.lindberg@gmail.com</a><br>m: 214.364.7985</div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Feb 20, 2020, 8:45 PM Andrew Katz <<a href="mailto:andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com">andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word;line-break:after-white-space">
<p class="m_-3468689037128154723ImprintUniqueID"></p>
<div>Hi All</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I’m emailing to gauge reactions with a view to potentially submitting the suite of CERN Open Hardware Licences for OSI approval. Version 2 has been several years in gestation, and after some major re-writes, consulting with many different communities
in the world of open hardware, and putting a lot of work, we think we’re ready to release Version 2 to the world. You can see the relevant drafts and supporting materials here: <a href="https://www.ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/CERN-OHL-v2-draft" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/CERN-OHL-v2-draft</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>There is no longer a single CERN-OHL: it’s become clear to us that different use-cases have different needs, and so do different communities, so we have now produced a suite of three closely-related licences, CERN-OHL-S (which is the successor
to the previous versions), CERN-OHL-W (which provides a weaker, more LGPL-like implementation of its reciprocal/copyleft obligations), and CERN-OHL-P (which is a permissive variant, intended to operate in a way similar to Apache).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The obvious objection is that the CERN-OHL licences are hardware licences, so why would we want to submit them for review as Open Source Software Licences? The reason is that hardware and software are tending to converge. Much of the hardware
for which people are adopting the CERN-OHL also has unarguably software elements, such as firmware, and we wanted it to be possible for users of the CERN-OHL to license their entire design, including the software elements, under the same licence, if they so
wished. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Another more subtle reason is that in the domain of silicon chip design, code written in hardware description languages like Verilog looks very similar to computer software, and already a great deal of HDL designs have been released under OSI-approved
licences such as BSD and Apache. Verilog code is compiled (if the target is an FPGA) into a bitstream which is then loaded onto a chip (the FPGA) which then responds to inputs and outputs dependent on the bitstream. The language and the bitstream exist solely
in the digital, non-physical domain. It’s difficult to come up with a definition of “software” which does not include HDL, but which does include code such as SQL, or font description languages (note that the SIL Open Font License is OSI approved). </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The fact that some of the software licences used to license hardware designs (such as BSD and Apache) are OSI-approved is an important factor in their adoption, and we believe that, should the CERN OHL suite of licences be so approved, then this
will aid the development of open hardware in general. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>A further factor is that CERN-OHL in the -W and -S variants potentially offer an interesting open licensing model purely in the software domain, including for use in containers (e.g. for use in Docker), by allowing a licensor to choose a reciprocal
licence which nonetheless allows components within the container to be licensed under more restrictive (e.g. proprietary) licences. I can expand on this point on request. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We’re incredibly grateful for the invaluable input we’ve had from a broad range of people from the open communities, both hardware and software, and we’re looking forward very much to hearing what people on this list have to say. If you don’t
want to comment publicly, please feel to message us privately (contact details can be found by following the link at <a href="https://www.ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/CERN-OHL-v2-draft" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/CERN-OHL-v2-draft</a>). </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>All the best</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Andrew</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<p></p>
<p class="m_-3468689037128154723ImprintUniqueID"><br>
<font style="font-family:Arial;font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold">Andrew Katz</font><br>
<font style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;color:#7d7d7d;background-color:White;font-style:italic">Partner</font></p>
<p class="m_-3468689037128154723ImprintUniqueID"><br>
<font size="2" face="Arial"><strong>Moorcrofts LLP</strong><br>
<br>
</font><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt"><a href="mailto:andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com" title="Click to send email to Andrew Katz" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com</span></a></span><br>
<font style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">+44 (0) 1628 470000</font><font size="2" face="Arial"> (Phone)<br>
</font><font size="2" face="Arial">+44 (0) 1628 470003 (Direct Dial)<br>
<font style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">+44 (0) 7970 835001 (Mobile)</font><br>
<br>
Thames House, Mere Park, Dedmere Road, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1PB</font><br>
<br>
<a href="https://www.moorcrofts.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><img width="196" height="42" style="border:0px Solid" src="cid:image24a56d.PNG@fd53f2aa.4495c945"></a><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial"><strong>Corporate Law | Technology Law | Commercial Law | Employment Law | Employee Incentivisation
<br>
& Share Schemes | Intellectual Property Law | Commercial Property Law | Secured Lending</strong></font><br>
<a href="https://moorcrofts.com/moorcrofts-named-finalists-in-women-in-business-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><img width="383" height="192" style="border:0px Solid" src="cid:image1f58d6.PNG@88e0eddd.42b25eb1"></a><a href="https://moorcrofts.com/moorcrofts-named-finalists-in-women-in-business-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><img width="230" height="192" style="border:0px Solid" src="cid:image21ba1a.PNG@00edc352.40913920"></a><a href="https://moorcrofts.com/moorcrofts-named-finalists-in-women-in-business-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><img width="220" height="190" style="border:0px Solid" src="cid:imagee91eb5.PNG@dc13ce2e.4c9d45b4"></a><br>
<font color="#7d7d7d" size="1" face="Arial"><font color="#a5a5a5">Registered in England & Wales OC 311818 Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority<br>
This email is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please let us know. we store email addresses and the names of addressees to assist with future correspondence.<br>
Please be aware of the increase in fraud and cyber crime. any email that appears to come from Moorcrofts LLP which provides different bank details or indicates a change of our bank details is unlikely to be genuine. You should not act on any information contained
in the email or reply to it. Instead please contact us immediately to check our account details</font><br>
</font><br>
</p>
<p class="m_-3468689037128154723ImprintUniqueID"></p>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
License-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:License-discuss@lists.opensource.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">License-discuss@lists.opensource.org</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org</a><br>
</blockquote></div>