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Verify GPLv3 license choice — CERN-OHL or CC-BY-SA more typical for open hardware #3

@NeoRecasata

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@NeoRecasata

The repo's LICENSE is GPLv3 — strong copyleft, originally designed for software.

For open hardware, more standard choices are:

  • CERN-OHL-S (strong copyleft) — designed specifically for hardware; "derivative work" rules map cleanly to PCBs and schematic revisions
  • CERN-OHL-W (weakly reciprocal) — similar but less strict
  • CC-BY-SA 4.0 — common across DIY synth community
  • CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 — matches the rest of the DIYSynthMNL catalogue (used on VCDO1, etc.) — blocks anyone from white-labelling and selling without contributing back

GPLv3 on hardware is unusual and has some interpretation issues — "distribution of object code" doesn't have an obvious analogue for PCBs.

Action:

  • Confirm GPLv3 is intentional (e.g., to match a specific upstream's license)
  • If not intentional: pick a hardware-appropriate license (CERN-OHL-S or CC-BY-NC-SA recommended) and replace the LICENSE file
  • Add a license header to the schematic title block
  • Apply the same license to the sibling EuroBusboard-8-IDC-16PIN repo (which currently has no LICENSE)

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