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---
title: CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 - Strongly Reciprocal
spdx-id: CERN-OHL-S-2.0
nickname: CERN OHL v2 Strongly Reciprocal
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description: The CERN OHL was drafted with hardware in mind. On top of licensing copyright like software and documentation licenses, it also licenses patents. This “Strongly Reciprocal” variant applies to a complete design, so if a CERN-OHL-S-2.0 file is used in a project then the full project must be released under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 (or a compatible license).
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how: Create a text file (typically named LICENSE or LICENSE.txt) in the root of your source code and copy the text of the license into the file.
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note:
CERN <a href="https://ohwr.org/project/cernohl/wikis/uploads/cf37727497ca2b5295a7ab83a40fcf5a/cern_ohl_s_v2_user_guide.pdf">recommends</a> adding the following information in the source files: copyright and license notice, a disclaimer of warranties and a source location. You can also include the source location in a part of the design which will be visible in the end product.
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using:
USB Armory: https://github.com/f-secure-foundry/usbarmory/blob/master/hardware/mark-two/LICENSE
waffling60: https://github.com/4pplet/waffling60/blob/master/LICENCE.md
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Passport Electronics: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-electronics/blob/master/LICENSE.txt
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permissions:
- commercial-use
- modifications
- distribution
- private-use
- patent-use
conditions:
- include-copyright
- document-changes
- disclose-source
- same-license
limitations:
- liability
- warranty
---
CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 - Strongly Reciprocal
Preamble
CERN has developed this licence to promote collaboration among hardware
designers and to provide a legal tool which supports the freedom to use,
study, modify, share and distribute hardware designs and products based on
those designs. Version 2 of the CERN Open Hardware Licence comes in three
variants: CERN-OHL-P (permissive); and two reciprocal licences: CERN-OHL-W
(weakly reciprocal) and this licence, CERN-OHL-S (strongly reciprocal).
The CERN-OHL-S is copyright CERN 2020. Anyone is welcome to use it, in
unmodified form only.
Use of this Licence does not imply any endorsement by CERN of any Licensor or
their designs nor does it imply any involvement by CERN in their development.
1 Definitions
1.1 'Licence' means this CERN-OHL-S.
1.2 'Compatible Licence' means
a) any earlier version of the CERN Open Hardware licence, or
b) any version of the CERN-OHL-S, or
c) any licence which permits You to treat the Source to which it
applies as licensed under CERN-OHL-S provided that on Conveyance of
any such Source, or any associated Product You treat the Source in
question as being licensed under CERN-OHL-S.
1.3 'Source' means information such as design materials or digital code
which can be applied to Make or test a Product or to prepare a Product
for use, Conveyance or sale, regardless of its medium or how it is
expressed. It may include Notices.
1.4 'Covered Source' means Source that is explicitly made available under
this Licence.
1.5 'Product' means any device, component, work or physical object, whether
in finished or intermediate form, arising from the use, application or
processing of Covered Source.
1.6 'Make' means to create or configure something, whether by manufacture,
assembly, compiling, loading or applying Covered Source or another
Product or otherwise.
1.7 'Available Component' means any part, sub-assembly, library or code
which:
a) is licensed to You as Complete Source under a Compatible Licence; or
b) is available, at the time a Product or the Source containing it is
first Conveyed, to You and any other prospective licensees
i) as a physical part with sufficient rights and information
(including any configuration and programming files and
information about its characteristics and interfaces) to enable
it either to be Made itself, or to be sourced and used to Make
the Product; or
ii) as part of the normal distribution of a tool used to design or
Make the Product.
1.8 'Complete Source' means the set of all Source necessary to Make a
Product, in the preferred form for making modifications, including
necessary installation and interfacing information both for the Product,
and for any included Available Components. If the format is
proprietary, it must also be made available in a format (if the
proprietary tool can create it) which is viewable with a tool available
to potential licensees and licensed under a licence approved by the Free
Software Foundation or the Open Source Initiative. Complete Source need
not include the Source of any Available Component, provided that You
include in the Complete Source sufficient information to enable a
recipient to Make or source and use the Available Component to Make the
Product.
1.9 'Source Location' means a location where a Licensor has placed Covered
Source, and which that Licensor reasonably believes will remain easily
accessible for at least three years for anyone to obtain a digital copy.
1.10 'Notice' means copyright, acknowledgement and trademark notices, Source
Location references, modification notices (subsection 3.3(b)) and all
notices that refer to this Licence and to the disclaimer of warranties
that are included in the Covered Source.
1.11 'Licensee' or 'You' means any person exercising rights under this
Licence.
1.12 'Licensor' means a natural or legal person who creates or modifies
Covered Source. A person may be a Licensee and a Licensor at the same
time.
1.13 'Convey' means to communicate to the public or distribute.
2 Applicability
2.1 This Licence governs the use, copying, modification, Conveying of
Covered Source and Products, and the Making of Products. By exercising
any right granted under this Licence, You irrevocably accept these terms
and conditions.
2.2 This Licence is granted by the Licensor directly to You, and shall apply
worldwide and without limitation in time.
2.3 You shall not attempt to restrict by contract or otherwise the rights
granted under this Licence to other Licensees.
2.4 This Licence is not intended to restrict fair use, fair dealing, or any
other similar right.
3 Copying, Modifying and Conveying Covered Source
3.1 You may copy and Convey verbatim copies of Covered Source, in any
medium, provided You retain all Notices.
3.2 You may modify Covered Source, other than Notices, provided that You
irrevocably undertake to make that modified Covered Source available
from a Source Location should You Convey a Product in circumstances
where the recipient does not otherwise receive a copy of the modified
Covered Source. In each case subsection 3.3 shall apply.
You may only delete Notices if they are no longer applicable to the
corresponding Covered Source as modified by You and You may add
additional Notices applicable to Your modifications. Including Covered
Source in a larger work is modifying the Covered Source, and the larger
work becomes modified Covered Source.
3.3 You may Convey modified Covered Source (with the effect that You shall
also become a Licensor) provided that You:
a) retain Notices as required in subsection 3.2;
b) add a Notice to the modified Covered Source stating that You have
modified it, with the date and brief description of how You have
modified it;
c) add a Source Location Notice for the modified Covered Source if You
Convey in circumstances where the recipient does not otherwise
receive a copy of the modified Covered Source; and
d) license the modified Covered Source under the terms and conditions
of this Licence (or, as set out in subsection 8.3, a later version,
if permitted by the licence of the original Covered Source). Such
modified Covered Source must be licensed as a whole, but excluding
Available Components contained in it, which remain licensed under
their own applicable licences.
4 Making and Conveying Products
You may Make Products, and/or Convey them, provided that You either provide
each recipient with a copy of the Complete Source or ensure that each
recipient is notified of the Source Location of the Complete Source. That
Complete Source is Covered Source, and You must accordingly satisfy Your
obligations set out in subsection 3.3. If specified in a Notice, the Product
must visibly and securely display the Source Location on it or its packaging
or documentation in the manner specified in that Notice.
5 Research and Development
You may Convey Covered Source, modified Covered Source or Products to a legal
entity carrying out development, testing or quality assurance work on Your
behalf provided that the work is performed on terms which prevent the entity
from both using the Source or Products for its own internal purposes and
Conveying the Source or Products or any modifications to them to any person
other than You. Any modifications made by the entity shall be deemed to be
made by You pursuant to subsection 3.2.
6 DISCLAIMER AND LIABILITY
6.1 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY -- The Covered Source and any Products are
provided 'as is' and any express or implied warranties, including, but
not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, of satisfactory
quality, non-infringement of third party rights, and fitness for a
particular purpose or use are disclaimed in respect of any Source or
Product to the maximum extent permitted by law. The Licensor makes no
representation that any Source or Product does not or will not infringe
any patent, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary right. The
entire risk as to the use, quality, and performance of any Source or
Product shall be with You and not the Licensor. This disclaimer of
warranty is an essential part of this Licence and a condition for the
grant of any rights granted under this Licence.
6.2 EXCLUSION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY -- The Licensor shall, to the
maximum extent permitted by law, have no liability for direct, indirect,
special, incidental, consequential, exemplary, punitive or other damages
of any character including, without limitation, procurement of
substitute goods or services, loss of use, data or profits, or business
interruption, however caused and on any theory of contract, warranty,
tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise, arising in
any way in relation to the Covered Source, modified Covered Source
and/or the Making or Conveyance of a Product, even if advised of the
possibility of such damages, and You shall hold the Licensor(s) free and
harmless from any liability, costs, damages, fees and expenses,
including claims by third parties, in relation to such use.
7 Patents
7.1 Subject to the terms and conditions of this Licence, each Licensor
hereby grants to You a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge,
royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in subsections 7.2 and 8.4)
patent licence to Make, have Made, use, offer to sell, sell, import, and
otherwise transfer the Covered Source and Products, where such licence
applies only to those patent claims licensable by such Licensor that are
necessarily infringed by exercising rights under the Covered Source as
Conveyed by that Licensor.
7.2 If You institute patent litigation against any entity (including a
cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Covered
Source or a Product constitutes direct or contributory patent
infringement, or You seek any declaration that a patent licensed to You
under this Licence is invalid or unenforceable then any rights granted
to You under this Licence shall terminate as of the date such process is
initiated.
8 General
8.1 If any provisions of this Licence are or subsequently become invalid or
unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions shall remain
effective.
8.2 You shall not use any of the name (including acronyms and
abbreviations), image, or logo by which the Licensor or CERN is known,
except where needed to comply with section 3, or where the use is
otherwise allowed by law. Any such permitted use shall be factual and
shall not be made so as to suggest any kind of endorsement or
implication of involvement by the Licensor or its personnel.
8.3 CERN may publish updated versions and variants of this Licence which it
considers to be in the spirit of this version, but may differ in detail
to address new problems or concerns. New versions will be published with
a unique version number and a variant identifier specifying the variant.
If the Licensor has specified that a given variant applies to the
Covered Source without specifying a version, You may treat that Covered
Source as being released under any version of the CERN-OHL with that
variant. If no variant is specified, the Covered Source shall be treated
as being released under CERN-OHL-S. The Licensor may also specify that
the Covered Source is subject to a specific version of the CERN-OHL or
any later version in which case You may apply this or any later version
of CERN-OHL with the same variant identifier published by CERN.
8.4 This Licence shall terminate with immediate effect if You fail to comply
with any of its terms and conditions.
8.5 However, if You cease all breaches of this Licence, then Your Licence
from any Licensor is reinstated unless such Licensor has terminated this
Licence by giving You, while You remain in breach, a notice specifying
the breach and requiring You to cure it within 30 days, and You have
failed to come into compliance in all material respects by the end of
the 30 day period. Should You repeat the breach after receipt of a cure
notice and subsequent reinstatement, this Licence will terminate
immediately and permanently. Section 6 shall continue to apply after any
termination.
8.6 This Licence shall not be enforceable except by a Licensor acting as
such, and third party beneficiary rights are specifically excluded.
