# 289: Stamping HORSE on Zebras

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2019-05-30
- Length: 1h 14m
- Episode: 289
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/289-stamping-horse-on-zebras

## Summary

Alicia Gibb, executive director of the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHW) and director of the Blow Things Up Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, discusses the legal and business frameworks of open source hardware. She explains how OSHW uses trademark certification to ensure quality and prevent misuse, contrasting this with the limitations of copyright and patent laws in the US. Gibb details her experience manufacturing Build Upons, light-up LEGO-compatible bricks, highlighting the extreme difficulty of sourcing manufacturers capable of meeting Lego's tight tolerances. She argues that open source hardware can coexist with profitable business models by leveraging brand trust, speed to market, and community-driven innovation rather than relying on IP monopolies.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=7) Introduction: Alicia Gibb and OSHW
- [7:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=452) The Need for an Open Source Hardware Organization
- [11:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=673) Defining Open Source Hardware and Legal Hurdles
- [22:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=1338) Using Trademarks for Quality Control
- [27:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=1648) Business Models for Open Source Hardware
- [51:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=3076) The Blow Things Up Lab and Maker Education
- [1:01:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=3668) Manufacturing Challenges: Build Upons and Lego Tolerances
- [1:07:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras#t=4026) Building Open Source Hardware Book and Attribution

## Topics

- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Open Source Hardware Association (company)
- Blow Things Up Lab (other)
- Build Upons (product)
- LilyPad Arduino (product)
- Bug Labs (company)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- Qualcomm (company)
- Spark Fun (company)
- Ada Fruit (company)
- Arduino (product)
- Lego (product)
- Open Hardware Summit (other)
- Atlas Institute (other)
- University of Colorado Boulder (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 23 - Making Money with Open Source Hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-06-27-ep-23-making-money-with-open-source-hardware) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [Kickstarter, Manufacturing, Open Hardware - Judging Jurisdictional Junctures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-24-kickstarter-manufacturing-open-hardware-judging-jurisdictional-junctures) (The Amp Hour)
- [Adafruit, Chip heist, Hackerspaces - The Kit Conniption](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-04-26-adafruit-chip-heist-hackerspaces-the-kit-conniption) (The Amp Hour)
- [Open Hardware and The Creative Economy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-08-31-open-hardware-and-the-creative-economy) (The Amp Hour)
- [S2 E7: Intellectual Property Strategy for Hardware Startups with Troy Grabow](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2024-02-20-s2-e7-intellectual-property-strategy-for-hardware-startups-with-troy-grabow) (The Builder Circle)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.