CERN OHL version 2 Tristan Gingold Document reference 2 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CERN OHL version 2

13/03/2019 Document reference 2

Tristan Gingold

Foreword...

• I am not a lawyer, I just want to explain

CERN OHLv2

• US: to license, a license
• UK: to license, a licence

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Why a Licence from CERN ?

• CERN designs many electronic boards
• Some of them are general-purpose

– ADC, PCI carriers, WR switches…

• Some are needed in large amount (>100x)
• Produced by external companies
• Increase the market size to reduce the price
• We need a licence!

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Why an Open HW Licence ?

• CERN is funded by public money
• Knowledge dissemination is part of CERN’s

mandate.

– An open license is a natural way to

disseminate HW.

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Why not using GPL (or CC) ?

• GPL is well known and ‘tested’ in courts

But, HW designers use:

• Proprietary tools and file formats
• Proprietary / Patented IP cores
• Copying is understood
• Running is not meaningful/well defined...
• Building the product is essential

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Why OHL version 2

• OHL v1.2 is working well for HW designs like

PCB, mechanical designs...

• More difficult to apply to HDL, FPGA, ASIC...

– Can closed-source IP cores be used ?

• Writing exceptions makes the license more

complex.

– We want a text that is legally strong. – We want a text that can be understood.

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An Open License

The freedoms

• Copy and distribute copies of sources
• Modify the sources
• Distribute your changes
• Make and distribute the product
• But you must keep notices, and provide the

sources

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The product

The product can be:

• A bitstream (for an HDL design)
• A mounted PCB (for an electronic design)
• A device (for a ready to use design)
• A 3D printed object
• An ASIC
• …

We tried to be as general as possible. Does it work for your domain ?

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CERN OHLv2 for designers

• If the design is fully your own: you have all

the rights; you’d better to put a notice on the PCB/product.

• If the design is not fully your own (you use

IPs, cores, …) that’s supported by CERN OHL, check the licence of the components

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CERN OHLv2 for makers

• You’re allowed to make the product, and

even to modify it.

– In general, the author is not aware of that.

• If you distribute your changes, keep the

notice and describe your changes.

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CERN OHL for manufacturers

• You’re allowed to manufacture and sell the

product.

• You become a Licensee.
• You must distribute the sources or make

them available at a location.

• The idea is that the buyer should be able to

build the same product.

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What are the sources ?

• A product is made from

– Sources (schematics, drawings, HDL…) – Available components (hardware

components, cores…)

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What are the sources ?

• Available components must be available

– Either they are also sources with a

compatible license (eg: a core)

– Or you can get them from the market

(under no specific licence)

• ICs, resistors, ...
• Cores, cells from third-parties

– Or available with the tools

• Cores

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Strong vs Less

Strong:

• Only physical parts can be components

available from the marker

– Like ICs, resistors, … – No third-party non-open cores

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OHL version 2 (still a draft)

3 Versions:

• Strong Reciprocal
• Less Reciprocal

– 6 pages each – The only difference is the definition of Available

Components

• Permissive

– Patent clause – 4 pages

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Feedback

We’d like to get your feedback.

• Still drafting
• We’d like to finalize the licence
• We know well about PCB and FPGA, but

less about ASICs, mechanics, …

• Does the CERN OHL v2 fit your domain ?
• Would you use it ?
• Is the wording clear enough ?

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Resources

https://www.ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/CERN-OHL-v2-draft

• Licences (still draft)
• FAQ
• Rationale
• Forum (https://forums.ohwr.org/c/cernohl)

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