> > > So, to go on a tangent here, what about 'code' in the form of Gerbers > > > and etc produced by PCB? > > Gerber files are a description -- a blueprint -- that just happens to > be in machine-readable form. They obviously don't need to be derived > from PCB -- you could use a normal text editor if you want.
They don't, but the OP specified that they were, so I answered in that context. > I never understood the issue of footprints. All one has to do is > bust out a micrometer and hand-enter the data yourself to make a > footprint right inside PCB. Surely a company cannot enforce > footprint protection, since they cannot tell the difference, from > looking at a board, between a hand-made footprint and a re-used > footprint. The issue of footprints is the same as the issue of maps. The information portrayed (copper layout, street location) is not copyrightable, it's a fact. The "artistic representation" of those facts (i.e. the text file containing the footprint, a printed map) can be copyrighted. Also, a collection thereof can be copyrighted even if the individual elements cannot. It's not legally simple. When and how one copies the footprints is a factor if it ever went to court. Remember, we're talking legal "derived" vs technical "derived". That's why I license all my stuff so that you don't need to worry about the license :-) _______________________________________________ geda-user mailing list geda-user@moria.seul.org http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user