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What is the license for the finished pcb design if you use this service? I believe most Sparkfun designs are "Creative Commons Share-Alike" [0], but they are a

What is the license for the finished pcb design if you use this service? I believe most Sparkfun designs are "Creative Commons Share-Alike" [0], but they are a little confusing as to their interpretation of that license [1]. My reading of that license is that if I base my commercial product (consumer, not for the hobbyist market) on one of their designs but make changes to the pcb design (such as additions and the shape) I would have to release my design to the public (which I would not want to do)? But here [1] they seem to contradict that and suggest all you have to do is attribute some of the design to them? I ask because this seems to be a really good way to get to a mk1+n prototype but obviously before going to mass production you are likely going to want to make changes, potentially large ones. If your final (very different) design has a lineage back to a CCSA licensed design then technically your final design would have to be shared for free. Obviously the CCSA license is important for them to protect their core business, the hobbyist market, and ensure competitors don't just steel their designs. [0]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [1]: https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1852 https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1852

tesseract 6y ago
- The copyrightability of PCB layout designs is somewhat ambiguous since they are ostensibly purely functional. (I'm sure someone can chime in here with precedent.) - If Sparkfun created the original CC-SA design, CC-SA does not prohibit them as the copyright owners from later licensing their work under different terms as well.
- blackguardx 6y ago
  PCB designs are absolutely copyrightable. They are treated no different than wood block prints or lithographs. It is similar for IC production masks.
  - tesseract 6y ago
    IC production masks have their own special category of IP protection, "mask work rights", precisely because it was uncertain whether they could be copyrighted.
  - samwillis 6y ago
    So I have just done a little reading. It seems a circuit itself cannot be copyrighted, but a visual representation of it can be. It can however be patented. I think this means that sparkfuns files are copy-write with a CCSA license. However the circuit design itself is not.
    - blackguardx 6y ago
      You are correct. A circuit design cannot be copyrighted. A PCB design can be, however. The PCB design is the actual layout of the copper traces on the board. In the industry, it is referred to as "artwork" and is copyrightable as such.
samwillis 6y ago
Just to add to this having had a play with the service, for it to be useful more precise positioning of key components such as connectors/buttons and the mechanical design of the PCB (shape and fixing points) would be needed. If I am paying nearly 1000$ for a prototype PCB it would be to put into a product prototype with mechanical design considerations. It’s that intermediate prototyping stage, after breadboarding but before full design for manufacturing. A form and fit prototype to test ux and consumer fit.
- BoorishBears 6y ago
  Who are you finding who can give you a PCB for a form and fit prototype from a list of preassembled breadboards you stuck together, for just 1k? Afaik, 1k wouldn't even pay for someone to take your ball of breadboards and figure out what the a pared down component list looks like This is great for taking a maker's prototype of multiple boards hooked together with jumper wires and random connectors in a project box... and giving them a single board that's still meant to be used in an exposed state, but is "moderately scalable". No where near being ready for "form and fit" From the article: > Cut and stripped wires, point-to-point soldered breakout boards, anchored everything to the proverbial breadboard, and after four hours sat back to realize you only had five more devices to build? > Found yourself with a great idea, but unsure of how to bring it to life? > Had an amazing prototype but needed to create a demo ready proof-of-concept? Proof of concept is well before what you're talking about

tesseract 6y ago

- The copyrightability of PCB layout designs is somewhat ambiguous since they are ostensibly purely functional. (I'm sure someone can chime in here with precedent.) - If Sparkfun created the original CC-SA design, CC-SA does not prohibit them as the copyright owners from later licensing their work under different terms as well.

blackguardx 6y ago
PCB designs are absolutely copyrightable. They are treated no different than wood block prints or lithographs. It is similar for IC production masks.
- tesseract 6y ago
  IC production masks have their own special category of IP protection, "mask work rights", precisely because it was uncertain whether they could be copyrighted.
- samwillis 6y ago
  So I have just done a little reading. It seems a circuit itself cannot be copyrighted, but a visual representation of it can be. It can however be patented. I think this means that sparkfuns files are copy-write with a CCSA license. However the circuit design itself is not.
  - blackguardx 6y ago
    You are correct. A circuit design cannot be copyrighted. A PCB design can be, however. The PCB design is the actual layout of the copper traces on the board. In the industry, it is referred to as "artwork" and is copyrightable as such.

samwillis 6y ago

Just to add to this having had a play with the service, for it to be useful more precise positioning of key components such as connectors/buttons and the mechanical design of the PCB (shape and fixing points) would be needed. If I am paying nearly 1000$ for a prototype PCB it would be to put into a product prototype with mechanical design considerations. It’s that intermediate prototyping stage, after breadboarding but before full design for manufacturing. A form and fit prototype to test ux and consumer fit.

BoorishBears 6y ago
Who are you finding who can give you a PCB for a form and fit prototype from a list of preassembled breadboards you stuck together, for just 1k? Afaik, 1k wouldn't even pay for someone to take your ball of breadboards and figure out what the a pared down component list looks like This is great for taking a maker's prototype of multiple boards hooked together with jumper wires and random connectors in a project box... and giving them a single board that's still meant to be used in an exposed state, but is "moderately scalable". No where near being ready for "form and fit" From the article: > Cut and stripped wires, point-to-point soldered breakout boards, anchored everything to the proverbial breadboard, and after four hours sat back to realize you only had five more devices to build? > Found yourself with a great idea, but unsure of how to bring it to life? > Had an amazing prototype but needed to create a demo ready proof-of-concept? Proof of concept is well before what you're talking about