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- The copyrightability of PCB layout designs is somewhat ambiguous since they are ostensibly purely functional. (I'm sure someone can chime in here with precede
by 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 agoPCB designs are absolutely copyrightable. They are treated no different than wood block prints or lithographs. It is similar for IC production masks.
- tesseract 6y agoIC 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 agoSo 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 agoYou 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.