Licensing the open-source hardware project with CERN Open Hardware Licence (CERN-OHL) for legal protection and clarity
Raw Developer Origin & Technical Request
GitHub Issue
Mar 15, 2026
First off, incredible work. The level of detail here, from the ESP32 canard stabilization to the full BOM, is a massive contribution to the open-source aerospace community.
I noticed the repo doesn't have a license yet. By default, that means "All Rights Reserved," which makes it tricky for others to safely build on or contribute to your work. Given that this project involves kinetic energy and propellants, I’d love for you to consider the **CERN Open Hardware Licence (v2)**.
It’s basically "legal armor" designed specifically for physical hardware. Here’s why it’s a better fit than a standard software license:
- The "Rocketry" Shield: Standard licenses (like MIT) are built for code. CERN-OHL has much stronger Liability and Warranty disclaimers tailored for physical objects. This protects you if someone’s build doesn’t go as planned.
- No Patent Trolling: It includes a "patent peace" clause. If someone uses your design, they can’t turn around and sue you for patent infringement based on that same work.
- Legal Clarity: It defines things like "CAD files" and "Physical Products," which software licenses don't really understand.
Two flavors to consider:
1. [CERN-OHL-P (Permissive)](opensource.org/license/CERN-OHL-... Like MIT. Anyone can do anything with it, including making closed-source commercial versions.
2. [CERN-OHL-W (Weakly Reciprocal)](opensource.org/license/CERN-OHL-... The "Community Favorite." Anyone can use it in a bigger project, but if ...
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