Libre Licenses

Philippe Coval <purl.org/rzr>

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Context

Topics

  • Background, Origins, Motivations
  • Cooperation, Hardware, Software, patents…
  • Practical use cases

Origin

  • Problems need Solutions
    • (not the other way around)
  • Problems are annoying people
    • EVERYTIME (and potentially EVERYONE)
  • Solutions require SOME investment
    • time/money spent ONCE
  • Solutions can generate some business
    • (and the other way around?)

From Limitations…

  • Solutions can be costly, temporary
    • can cause more problems
  • No solutions fit every problems but can be
    • improved, optimized
    • customized, adapted, repurposed
    • combined, extended

… To Evolution

  • Improvement require more energy:
  • time & money
  • knowledge (sources)
  • Skills, materials, Tools
  • Help?
  • PERMISSION

Commons tragedy

  • Everyone want to reuse others work
  • Nobody want to work for others
  • High Risk: Enclosure, dry up
  • Low Risk: try/hope and gain experience

Motivations

  • Maximize result(s) / Minimize effort
  • Cooperation can make it possible
  • share a same goal
  • needs trust, fairness and respect
    • between everyone, now and later
  • Need Relationship commitment
    • on short and longer term

Licensing

  • Agreement is a social contract:
    • Some rights (power)
    • Some duties (responsibilities)
  • Some respected rules are needed
    • Desire for "Peaceful Harmony"
    • Fear of "Far West" or "Jungle Law"
  • Tool to enable cooperation and derived works

Software example

  • 1950s: "Sources sharing" was default
  • 1970s: "Proprietary binaries" appeared
    • New Frustration problems
  • 1973: BSD (Berkeley Unix) source
  • 1983: RMS: user freedoms, GNU project
    • GPL: Execute, Read, Modify, Redistribute
  • 1992: Linux kernel under GPL
  • 1997: OpenSource (OSI): coop methodology focus
  • FLOSS: Free Libre OpenSource: Proven & Established

Patents example

  • Sharing solutions
    • divulging secrets
    • reuse is conditioned by fees
    • until it reach public domain
  • Or creating blocking problems ?
    • Repeatives fees for each country
    • IP: property, rents

Subtilities

  • Reciprocal (Copyleft): Prefer coop
  • Permissive: Prefer reuse
  • Debian (DFSG, Social contract)
    • Permit use of "optional" unfree parts
  • Creative Commons:
    • can restrict commercial use
  • Beware/Avoid unclear terms:
    • "Free", "Libre", "Open Hardware", "Remix"
    • "Public domain", "Libre de droit"

Strategies

  • Define and focus added value
    • your work or your expertise?
  • Find business model
    • Integration in Product, Services…
  • NIH: Do not reinvent the squared wheel
    • Consume Open Source
  • Produce Open Source or not
  • If compatible Derive/Combine OS

How to start ?

  • Try to contribute to existing licensed project
  • Before creating original work
    • Assign one license sooner that later
  • And THEN publish your works
    • Authors and license will remain

Choosing license ?

  • Depends on context and priorities
  • What you want ?
    • in short term or longer term
  • What you can ?
    • combining other works
  • What others wants/can ?
  • Learn from established orgs
    • FSF, OSI, LF/SPDX, OSHW
  • https://spdx.org/licenses/

Open Source Hardware

  • Definition: 12 criteria
  • Documentation including design files
    • allow modification and distribution
  • Necessary Software: FLOSS friendly
  • Derived Works, Free redistribution
  • Attribution
  • No Discrimination, Restriction on use

Case study CERN-OHL

Hints for Makers

  • Learn for others, align to what works
  • Learn from SW experiences
    • Beware of concentration of power
  • Licensing in AI paradigm?
    • Is machine-learning copying ?
    • Is a model a derived work ?
  • More to win by giving control than keeping it
  • Protect your AND your community interests

References

More references

More or Q&A, Thx!