Faculté Polytechnique
OSS 2012
From Open Source Software to Open
Source Hardware
Summary
Context
Definitions
Intellectual Property and Business Models
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Future Works
Context
First was open source software (OSS)...
Next steps :
open access, open data and...
open source hardware / open hardware (OSH).
Some well-known projects such as LEON free
processor.
With time :
growing interest of companies,
Definitions
Recent definition by Open Hardware
Summit (
summit.oshwa.org) :
Open Source Hardware Definition.
Based on 12 criteria.
Clearly drawned on famous Open Source Definition (OSI,
opensource.org
).
Two kinds of projects :
Open source IP
Electronic components : cores, controllers, processors,...
Open source designs.
More complex designs : specialized boards, prototyping boards,
Intellectual Property and
Business Models (1/2)
Some items to protect :
Source code for electronics, source code for associated
softwares, hardware design, aesthetic value,
documentations and brands.
Various IP tools :
Protection for the topographies of semiconductors,
industrial design rights, patents, copyrights and
trademarks.
Open source softwares covered by licenses.
Based on copyright (sometimes : clauses about patents and
trademarks).
Copyleft (LGPL, GPL, MPL,...) or not (BSD, MIT,...).
Specific open hardware licenses such as TAPR or
CERN Open Hardware License.
Business models strongly influenced by licenses.
In open source software, revenue creation by :
Selling services (new developments, training, hosting,...).
Selling softwares (dual licensing scheme or sale of add‑ons)
Intellectual Property and
Business Models (2/2)
Methodology
Objectives :
Identify emergent practices (mainly about relations between
companies, and between companies and communities).
Determine business models and licenses used by
companies.
Methodology :
11 case studies by analyzing organisations with commercial
OSH activities.
Sources :
Projects websites and articles about project's owners
(interviews, presentations).
Results (1/2)
Results (2/2)
Licenses :
Open source licenses used for source code : BSD, GPL
and LGPL.
Hardware design also covered by Creative Commons
(mainly CC-BY-SA).
One project covered by license for OSH (TAPR license).
Implementation :
License not always clearly noticed.
Source code distributed with public tools (Github,
Discussion (1/2)
Protection provided by Creative Commons ?
Written for cultural contents, not for hardware.
No clause about patents (as GPL v3).
Use of GPL (restrictive license) :
Less problematic for OSH ?
The companies sell tangible, manufactured products.
Need to control process from source code to out-of-the box
products.
Discussion (2/2)
Forks are possible with hardware, too.
Cases :
OpenSPARC : simpification of the product (« friendly »
fork).
Arduino : trademarks issues and search for lower prices.
Similar to forks in Open Source software field.
Future works
Increase the number of studied companies.
Establish links with other theoretical
frameworks (fablabs, peer-production,...).
Study in greater detail the interactions between
users communities and companies.
How do the companies overcome the barriers to
contribute ?
Proposed methods : questionnaires sent to projects
Q&A
Thank you for your attention.
Any question ?
Acknowledgments
This research was initiated by the Faculty of
Engineering of UMons (
www.umons.ac.be)
and
benefited of support from DG06
(
spw.wallonie.be
) with the CELLaVI project
Contact
Dr Ir Robert Viseur
Teaching Assistant @UMONS
UMONS, Faculté Polytechnique
Rue de Houdain, 9
B-7000 Mons
Mail :
WWW :
www.umons.ac.be
Senior Technology Advisor @CETIC
CETIC
Rue des Frères Wright, 29/3
B-6041 Charleroi
Mail :
