Flora Vs Metro - Patent, Copyright, etc.

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MikeRangen
 
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Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:00 pm

Flora Vs Metro - Patent, Copyright, etc.

Post by MikeRangen »

I'm searching for clarity regarding derivative Arduino designs.

The Arduino website specifies, "Deriving the design of a commercial product from the Eagle files for an Arduino board requires you to release the modified files under the same Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license. You may manufacture and sell the resulting product."

The Metro is listed on Adafruit with these in the technical details:
-Derivative of "Arduino UNO R3 Reference design"
-Open source hardware files on github!

The Flora is listed on Adafruit without such statements in the technical details but there is a link to the design files.

Does Adafruit own the Flora design such that if someone copied it and produced it, they could sue them?
Is that even possible because it's essentially an Arduino?
Would adafruit even care if anyone copied their design?

I'm curious about designing an Arduino-derivative board and protecting it, if possible.
I'm worried I've come up with something unique and that it will be copied faster than I can even get to market.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Flora Vs Metro - Patent, Copyright, etc.

Post by Franklin97355 »

Does Adafruit own the Flora design such that if someone copied it and produced it, they could sue them?
Is that even possible because it's essentially an Arduino?
Would adafruit even care if anyone copied their design?
Adafruit designed the Flora and it is released under the Creative Commons license as noted on the schematic (CC 2.5 BY-SA) As such you can use the design and files to make your own product as long as you don't call it a Flora or try to pass it off as one. You can read the license here.

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