# Ep. 24 - Open Hardware Licenses ft. Thea Flowers

- Show: [Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast)
- Published: 2024-07-11
- Length: 1h 25m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers
- Listen: https://www.opulo.io

## Summary

Thea Flowers, president of the Open Source Hardware Association, explains the spectrum of open hardware licensing, ranging from public domain to strongly reciprocal (copyleft) models. She details how copyright, patents, and specific licenses like CERN OHL, MIT, and GPL interact, emphasizing the legal concept of separability between hardware designs and firmware. The discussion highlights the importance of choosing licenses that match project goals, such as using permissive licenses for broad adoption versus reciprocal licenses for public utilities, and warns that legal enforcement often depends on resources rather than just the license text.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=0) Introduction: Thea Flowers and Open Source Hardware Association
- [5:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=326) Copyright vs. Patents and the Scope of Permissivity
- [19:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=1154) Permissive Licenses: Public Domain, MIT, and Apache
- [31:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=1902) Reciprocal and Strongly Reciprocal (Copyleft) Licenses
- [44:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=2674) Separability: Hardware, Software, and APIs
- [55:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=3337) Hardware-Specific Licenses: CERN OHL and Licensing Strategy
- [1:07:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-07-11-ep-24-open-hardware-licenses-ft-thea-flowers#t=4044) Enforcement, Resources, and Community Norms

## Topics

- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Open Source Hardware Association (company)
- CERN OHL (other)
- MIT license (other)
- Apache license (other)
- GPL (other)
- Creative Commons (other)
- choosealicense.com (other)
- TLDRLegal (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [289: Stamping HORSE on Zebras](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-05-30-289-stamping-horse-on-zebras) (Embedded.fm)
- [Episode 020: Open source ideas](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2015-05-08-episode-020-open-source-ideas) (Making It)
- [45: Yanking on a Cat's Tail Is the Only Way to Learn](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-04-02-45-yanking-on-a-cats-tail-is-the-only-way-to-learn) (Embedded.fm)
- [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)
- [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)

## Citing this page

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