OSHW

This page hosts the current proposed Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Statement of Principles and Definition v1.0. The statement of principles is a high-level overview of the ideals of open-source hardware. The definition is an attempt to apply those ideals to a standard by which to evaluate licenses for hardware designs.

To endorse the Open Source Hardware Definition 1.0, please add your name (and affiliation) below.

Older drafts of the definition are also available.

Compiled community feedback from previous versions of the Definition can be found here

If you would like to propose changes to the statement of principles or definition, please do so on the work-in-progress draft. And, please edit while signed in, not anonymously.

Please join the conversation about the definition here

Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Statement of Principles 1.0

Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware's source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.

Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Definition 1.0

OSHW Draft Definition 1.0 is based on the Open Source Definition for Open Source Software and draft OSHW definition 0.5. The definition is derived from the Open Source Definition, which was created by Bruce Perens and the Debian developers as the Debian Free Software Guidelines. Videos and Documentation of the Opening Hardware workshop which kicked off the below definition are available here. Please join the conversation about the definition here

Introduction

Open Source Hardware (OSHW) is a term for tangible artifacts -- machines, devices, or other physical things -- whose design has been released to the public in such a way that anyone can make, modify, distribute, and use those things. This definition is intended to help provide guidelines for the development and evaluation of licenses for Open Source Hardware.

Hardware is different from software in that physical resources must always be committed for the creation of physical goods. Accordingly, persons or companies producing items ("products") under an OSHW license have an obligation to make it clear that such products are not manufactured, sold, warrantied, or otherwise sanctioned by the original designer and also not to make use of any trademarks owned by the original designer.

The distribution terms of Open Source Hardware must comply with the following criteria:

1. Documentation

The hardware must be released with documentation including design files, and must allow modification and distribution of the design files. Where documentation is not furnished with the physical product, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining this documentation for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably downloading via the Internet without charge. The documentation must include design files in the preferred format for making changes, for example the native file format of a CAD program. Deliberately obfuscated design files are not allowed. Intermediate forms analogous to compiled computer code -- such as printer-ready copper artwork from a CAD program -- are not allowed as substitutes. The license may require that the design files are provided in fully-documented, open format(s).

2. Scope

The documentation for the hardware must clearly specify what portion of the design, if not all, is being released under the license.

3. Necessary Software

If the licensed design requires software, embedded or otherwise, to operate properly and fulfill its essential functions, then the license may require that one of the following conditions are met:

a) The interfaces are sufficiently documented such that it could reasonably be considered straightforward to write open source software that allows the device to operate properly and fulfill its essential functions. For example, this may include the use of detailed signal timing diagrams or pseudocode to clearly illustrate the interface in operation.

b) The necessary software is released under an OSI-approved open source license.

4. Derived Works

The license shall allow modifications and derived works, and shall allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original work. The license shall allow for the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of products created from the design files, the design files themselves, and derivatives thereof.

5. Free redistribution

The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the project documentation. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale. The license shall not require any royalty or fee related to the sale of derived works.

6. Attribution

The license may require derived documents, and copyright notices associated with devices, to provide attribution to the licensors when distributing design files, manufactured products, and/or derivatives thereof. The license may require that this information be accessible to the end-user using the device normally, but shall not specify a specific format of display. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original design.

7. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups

The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.

8. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor

The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the work (including manufactured hardware) in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it must not restrict the hardware from being used in a business, or from being used in nuclear research.

9. Distribution of License

The rights granted by the license must apply to all to whom the work is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.

10. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product

The rights granted by the license must not depend on the licensed work being part of a particular product. If a portion is extracted from a work and used or distributed within the terms of the license, all parties to whom that work is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted for the original work.

11. License Must Not Restrict Other Hardware or Software

The license must not place restrictions on other items that are aggregated with the licensed work but not derivative of it. For example, the license must not insist that all other hardware sold with the licensed item be open source, nor that only open source software be used external to the device.

12. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology, specific part or component, material, or style of interface or use thereof.

Afterword

The signatories of this Open Source Hardware definition recognize that the open source movement represents only one way of sharing information. We encourage and support all forms of openness and collaboration, whether or not they fit this definition.

Licenses and Hardware

In promoting Open Hardware, it is important to make it clear to designers the extent to which their licenses actually can control their designs. Under U.S. law, and law in many other places, copyright does not apply to electronic designs. Patents do. The result is that an Open Hardware license can in general be used to restrict the plans but not the manufactured devices or even restatements of the same design that are not textual copies of the original. The applicable section of copyright law is 17.102(b), which says:

In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.

Translations

The below translations have been offered by members of the community and should be checked for accuracy and possible language problems.

• English (original)
• Deutsch (in progress)
• Ελληνικά
• español
• français
• italiano
• 日本語
• 한국어
• Latina
• português
• čeština
• 中文（中国大陆） (in progress)
• русский

(Edit)

Logo repository

The open source hardware logo lives at oshwlogo.com.

Endorsements

OSHW Draft Definition 1.0 has been endorsed by the following persons and/or organization as of 2012/09/17.

Please feel free to add (your own names) to this section. Listing your affiliation is optional for personal endorsements, and endorsements are presumed to be personal unless the organization name is listed separately.

Please join the conversation about the definition here

• Aaron Clarke, [1] EmbeddedCoding.com
• Aaron Harper, Lobo Savvy Technologies and Ahead Research Corporation
• Abhimanyu Singh Udawat, Explore Labs
• Adam Mayer, Makerbot Industries
• Adam N. Ward, Wardy's Projects
• Adam Wolf, Wayne and Layne
• Addie Wagenknecht and Stefan Hechenberger Nortd Labs Eyebeam Lasersaur
• Ahmet Alpat, Arduino Türkiye Elektrik, Elektronik, Enerji
• Akiba, FreakLabs
• Alexander Ruiz Ingenio Sólido S.A.S
• Alexis Sánchez PingüinoVE
• Alicia Gibb Bug Labs
• Alok Prasad
• Amanda Wozniak, Ninja Networks
• Amon Millner Scratch & MIT, Olin College, and Modkit
• André Menks Multilógica-shop
• Andrew Back Open Source Hardware User Group
• Andrew Katz Moorcrofts LLP
• Andrew Meyer
• Andrew Plumb, ClothBot Designs
• Andrew Sliwinski OmniCorpDetroit
• Andrew Stone, Toasted Circuits
• Andy Gelme, Connected Community HackerSpace, Melbourne, Australia and Geekscape Pty. Ltd.
• Anil Kumar Pugalia (Pugs' Passion)
• Anthony Clay, ZarthCode LLC
• Asim Baig, Tinkeract
• Ayah Bdeir, littleBits.cc/Eyebeam/Creative Commons
• Bastian Bittorf bittorf wireless ))
• Ben Leduc-Mills Craft Technology Lab
• Ben Lipkowitz, SKDB reprap
• Benjamin Gaulon, Recyclism
• Benjamin Gray, phenoptix
• Bernard Pratz, hackable:Devices
• Bernt Weber, Splashelec
• Bertrand Le Roy Nwazet
• Bhagyashri Sharangpani, Bhasha Technologies
• Bill Shaw Inanimate Reason
• Bob Jacobsen JMRI
• Bob Waldron MakerPlane
• Boseji Electronics For Bharat|A.D.H.A.R Labs
• Brandon Stafford, Rascal Micro
• Brett Hagman, Rogue Robotics, Wiring
• Brian Collins, Hacromatic
• Bryan Bishop, SKDB Humanity+
• bunnie bunniestudios
• Carmen Gonzalez, [2] DreamAddictive
• Carmen Trudell Fluxxlab
• Carson Reynolds University of Tokyo
• Catarina Mota, openMaterials
• Cathal Garvey, Indie Biotech
• Cécile Montagne, open-devices
• Cesar Harada Protei, sailing drones
• Charles Collis, AdCiv.org
• Charles Edward Pax, Makerbot Industries
• Charles Yarnold
• Chris Anderson, 3D Robotics/DIY Drones
• Chris Jefferies, Tinaja Labs
• Chris Novello, illucia instruments
• Chris Walker, Netduino Secret Labs
• Christian Siefkes, keimform.de
• Christopher Lee, Australian Robotics
• Constantin Craciun Harkopen.com - open source hardware community
• Dali Ben Aleya, EC-O: Provide recovered materials based DIY solutions
• Dan Clark GroundZero Labs
• Daniel Andarde Daniel Andrade - art.electronics.tech
• Daniel Garcia Protostack
• Daniel Harrigan
• Daniel Reetz DIY Book Scanner
• Daniel Yucra SomosLibres.org Perú
• Darsh Shah Blog
• Dave Borghuis TkkrLab hackerspace
• Dave Hrynkiw Solarbotics Ltd., HVW Technologies
• David A. Mellis, Arduino
• David Ankers & James Cotton, The OpenPilot Foundation
• David Carrier, Parallax Inc.
• David Cuartielles, Arduino OSHW_Spanish
• David Gascón, Libelium, Cooking-Hacks
• David L. Jones, EEVblog
• David Lang, OpenROV
• David Reyes Samblás Martínez Tuxbrain
• David Siren Eisner, InMojo
• Deepak Pareek HnyB Inc.
• Deepak Shrivastava
• Demetris Rouslan Zavorotnitsienko GizmoForYou
• Diego Spinola Hackeneering
• Dilshan R Jayakody jayakody.info
• D'sun Labs [3]
• Dumitru Stama dicsEE
• Dustyn Roberts, dustynrobots
• Ed Minchau, Magical Robotics
• Emanuele Bonanni aka EmanueleEMC, Elettronica Open Source
• Eric Anderson Carnegie Mellon University
• Eric Boyd sensebridge
• Eric Herman FreeSA
• Eric Michaud i11 Industries
• Eric Pan Seeed Studio
• Eric Thompson Low Voltage Labs
• Ethan Zonca ProtoFusion
• Fabien Royer Nwazet
• Federico Lucifredi SUSE Linux
• Francisco Cordova e-Terminal Foundation
• Francisco Malpartida electroFUN
• Frank Piller, rwth-aachen university
• Freddy Deniau
• Frédéric Jourdan, Snootlab
• Gabriella Levine, Protei, ITP
• Geoffrey L. Barrows, Centeye, Inc. and Embedded Eye
• George Hadley, NBitWonder
• Gilles Reyna
• Giovanni Lostumbo, GNUBioPhotoVoltaic
• Glyn Hudson, Trystan Lea and Suneil Tagore OpenEnergyMonitor
• Graham Bicknell
• Greg Grossmeier, Open Evangelist
• Greg Krsak
• Gregor Gross alpha-board Elektronik-Design und Fertigungsservice Berlin
• Gregory Gage, Backyard Brains
• Guo haoyun [4]
• Hans Scharler ioBridge ThingSpeak
• Hao Zhang BJMakerspace
• Hélio Pereira
• Helio Ribeiro da Silva Filho
• Henrik Denhart Denhart
• Hong Phuc Dang FOSSASIA
• Ian Daniher, Nonolith Labs
• Ian Lee Software & Sawdust
• Ivan Jorge Boesing, FIRST Brazil
• J. Simmons Mach 30: Foundation for Space Development
• Jakub Kákona, MLAB UST
• James Adams, MakeNub
• James Grahame, Reflex Audio MeeBlip
• James Ronald Michigan Robot Club
• Jarryd Bekker Lattra
• Jasmin Skenderi alpha-board Elektronik-Design und Fertigungsservice Berlin
• Jason Huggins Bitbeam
• Jason Veneman, Intelligenate
• Jatinderjit Singh, Embisys
• Jayson Tautic, TAUTIC ELECTRONICS LLC
• Jean Demartini, DEMTECH - Sophia-Antipolis - France
• Jean-Marc Giacalone, eMAKERshop
• Jeff Karney JK Devices
• Jeff Keyzer MightyOhm Engineering
• Jeff Moe, Aleph Objects, Inc.
• Jeff Saltzman, Jeff's Arduino Blog
• Jeffrey Antony, Jeffrey's Personal Website
• Jeremy Blum, JeremyBlum.com Cornell University Creative Machines Lab
• Jeremy Saglimbeni, thecustomgeek.com
• Jim Barkley, The MITRE Corporation
• Jimmie P. Rodgers JimmiePRodgers.com
• Joan Espinoza PingüinoVE
• Joel Murphy Rachel's Electronics Parsons D+T
• John Wilbanks, Creative Commons
• John Lejeune, h:D
• John M. De Cristofaro
• John Tarbox BitsConnect.com
• Johnny Russell UltiMachine
• Jon Kuniholm, The Open Prosthetics Project
• Jon Masters www.jonmasters.org
• Jonathan Dahan, Island Labs
• Jonathan Minchin [5]
• Jonathan Oxer, Freetronics
• Jorge Alberto Silva CDIR ITESCO
• Jose M. de la Fuente n00b0tmm8
• Josef Pruša [6] RepRap developer
• Joseph Di Carlo
• Joseph Gray 911 Media Arts Center, Seattle projBox
• Joseph H Althaus
• Josh Boughey The Stribe Project
• Joshua D. Johnson Protobot Industries physical prototyper/inventor
• Juan Gonzalez-Gomez Iearobotics.com Researcher on robotics
• Juergen Neumann, OHANDA - Open Source Hardware and Design Alliance
• Julien Rouviere, OpenSCB
• Keith Braafladt
• Ken Burns, AkroSense
• Kenneth Liu, Arduino in Taiwan
• Kevin Townsend, www.microBuilder.eu
• Koichi Takagi, Nagoya City University
• Kyle Wiens, iFixit
• Lawrence "Lemming" Dixon HSBNE.org Hackerspace Brisbane
• Leah Buechley, MIT Media Lab, High-Low Tech
• Lenore Edman, Evil Mad Science
• Leslie Garcia, DreamAddictive
• Lex Blagus, OpDehy
• Limor Fried, Adafruit Industries
• Louis Montagne, Bearstech
• Lubos Medovarsky, Accelera Networks
• Luigi Carnevale, Droids
• Marcus A. Link Manupool - A Product Development Community
• Mario Behling, MBM
• Mario Vernari, Highfieldtales
• Mark McComb, hacktronics
• Massimo Banzi Arduino
• Mats Engstrom SmallRoomLabs
• Matt Westervelt Metrix Create:Space
• Matthew Beckler, Wayne and Layne
• Matthew Slater Community Forge
• Matthieu Quadrini OpenSCB
• Michael James OSHJunkies
• Michael Krumpus nootropic design
• Michael McPherson
• Michael Ossmann, Great Scott Gadgets
• Michael Ruppe
• Mike Provenzano, Progunn Industries
• Mitch Altman Cornfield Electronics
• Mitch Patterson(mitpatterson) Mitch's Tech Blog
• Morgaine Dinova [1], lecturer and consultant
• Moritz von Buttlar Opensource-Solar
• Morten I. Larsen
• Naoufel Razouane Tunisia-DIY
• Nathan Seidle SparkFun Electronics
• Nicholas C Lewis A RepRap Breeding Program
• Nicolas Lassabe Artilect FabLab Toulouse
• Nicolas Saugnier XD Team blog
• Nis Sarup
• Noah Shibley Nomi Design
• Noel Bautista Maker Dude
• Nuri Erginer gnexlab
• Oldrich Horacek HW Kitchen
• Paolo Patierno, DevExperience
• Patrick Korkuch
• Patrick Lloyd
• Paul Armstrong
• Paul Badger, Modern Device
• Pavol Rusnak, hackerspace brmlab
• Pete Brown 10rem.net
• Pete Prodoehl RasterWeb!
• Peter Kirn, Create Digital Music MeeBlip
• Phillip Torrone, MAKE magazine Adafruit Industries
• Pierce Nichols Logos Electromechanical LLC
• Pierrick Boissard I-Grebot robotics association
• Pip Jones Deepend
• R. Scott Plunkett, The OpenQi Project
• Rafael Barmak OVNI Lab
• Raghavan Nagabhirava
• Ramón Martínez, Tenderoo Mobile Payment
• Raphaël Rousseau Atelier Laser
• Raúl Oviedo Ingenieria Electronica
• Ravichandra Seveelavanan LZRDM
• Richard Anderson Fair Use Building and Research Labs
• Robert Fitzsimons Part Fusion Electronics
• Robit Technology Parts of Electronics and Robotics
• Ron K. Jeffries, Jeffries Research
• Ronen Kadushin Open Design
• Roy Mohan Shearer, Openthing
• Ryan Pulkrabek, Collaborative Space Travel and Research Team (CSTART)
• Samuel Sayer, The MITRE Corporation
• Samuel Vale, Holoscópio Tecnologia
• Sascha Meinrath, Open Technology Initiative
• Scot Kornak, BusBoard Prototype Systems Ltd.
• Shannon Morrisey
• Shigeru Kobayashi IAMAS Funnel Gainer
• Simone Marzulli Onioncoding
• Stacy L. Devino, Does it Pew?aka childofthehorn
• Sterling Pickens, linuxsociety
• Steve Dickie, ArduinoEducation.com
• Steve Gifford, Chips To Bits
• Steve Hoefer Grathio Labs
• Stewart Dickson Makerspace-Urbana
• Tassos Natsakis KU Leuven
• Terry King, YourDuino.com
• Thalis Antunes FACIT
• Theodore Ullrich, Tomorrow Lab™
• Thomas Gokey, artist
• Tim Lossen, Evercube
• Tom Igoe, Arduino ITP, NYU
• Tomasz Mloduchowski XLogic Blattaria, Ltd.
• Troy Dowling TroyDowling.org
• Tully Gehan, Samurai Circuits
• Tuomo Tammenpää, OHANDA - Open Source Hardware and Design Alliance
• Tushar Makwana, Explore Labs
• Usman Haque, Pachube
• Viento Floating City Copenhagen
• Vlad Trifa, Web of Things ETH Zurich
• Will Cleaver OS Economy - Science & Art
• Will Pickering, FunGizmos
• William Morris, I Heart Robotics/I Heart Engineering
• Wim Vandeputte, kd85
• Windell Oskay, Evil Mad Science
• Yannick Avelino, Electrolab