Open Source Hardware Definition 1.0

The Open Source Hardware ("OSHW") definition version 1.0 was released a few weeks ago, and a bunch of organizations and people (like me!) have signed on in support of the definition and of OSHW in general.

One of my favorite parts, emphasis mine:

4. Derived Works
The license shall allow modifications and derived works, and shall allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original work. The license shall allow for the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of products created from the design files, the design files themselves, and derivatives thereof.

If I'm reading that right, by allowing and not obliging derivative works to adhere to the definition, industry is encouraged to incorporate as much or as little OSHW thinking as they like into their products. I think this is key for encouraging manufacturers at large to think in terms of making their products hackable, but more importantly, servicable. Of course companies will need to lay out all kinds of disclaimers for when you break their products when you were trying to fix them, but that's already standard practice. This is getting interestinger all the time...