EAGLE Newbie Question re: Commercial Usage

On 07.01.2013 20:24, Jeff Angcanan wrote:

Came across this phrase:

"Cadsoft is nice to give away a free version for hobby use, but their license is non-commercial. What that means is you aren’t supposed to make things you are going to sell with it".

I am using the Pro student version. Does this statement apply to this?

Thanks.

 

>

Hello,

you are talking about the Hobbyist version, correct?

Like described here:

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/shop/eagle-hobbyist-and-education/?language=en&lang=en

It also says that this is a license for non-commercial use.

IMHO it depends on what you are doing exactly. If you develop

a project (manufacture the board, buy the components, populate

it...) and you sell it for a reasonable price that compensates

your expenses, I think, this is allowed.

If you are running a company and you are selling commercial

goods, it's not okay. At least as son as you can afford an

EAGLE license, you have to buy a commercial one.

--

Mit freundlichen Gruessen / Best regards

Richard Hammerl

  CadSoft Support -- hotline@cadsoft.de

  FAQ: http://www.cadsoft.de/training/faq/

Thanks for the clarification Richard!

Hi,

Is this post still valid tell now?

Small in house project (manufacture the board, buy the components, populate

it...) and sell it for a reasonable price as a prototype; this is first design.

Thanks in advance

O.

Yes, it is.

Regards,

Richard

I know that Omar already asked the question (again), but I'd like to clarify my position.

I am clearly a hobbyist at this point in time. However, I have the intent of selling a few PCBs (not large volume) for which I have a project that can work within the limits of the Eagle Hobbyist version. Where do you clearly draw the line between a hobbyist who seeks to make money on his/her project and the point at which they might be viewed as "commercial"?

For example, I might sell my little PCB/design as a finished assembly (I buy components, I solder them all down, etc.) for a "reasonable price", perhaps about $150 each. I sell about two board per month to begin with. Then, suddenly I start selling 5 per month. Then I come up with a revision and decide to sell a more complex board (still within the same limits of the Hobbyist version of Eagle)... I increase my price to $250 per board assembly/kit. And then I might start selling 10 per month.

Is there not a grey area for defining one's use before and after commercial? Believe me, I don't see it justified to pay more than the Hobbyist Software package because this is not my primary source of income... not even close.

Opinions? Feedback?

Regards,

enoughstatic

Eric Hold wrote:

I know that Omar already asked the question (again), but I'd like to

clarify my position.

I am clearly a hobbyist at this point in time. However, I have the

intent of selling a few PCBs (not large volume) for which I have a

project that can work within the limits of the Eagle Hobbyist version.

Where do you clearly draw the line between a hobbyist who seeks to make

money ...

That is already commercial intent, I'd say.

...on his/her project and the point at which they might be viewed as

"commercial".

 

For example, I might sell my little PCB/design as a finished assembly (I

buy components, I solder them all down, etc.) for a "reasonable price",

perhaps about $150 each. I sell about two board per month to begin with.

Then, suddenly I start selling 5 per month. Then I come up with a

revision and decide to sell a more complex board (still within the same

limits of the Hobbyist version of Eagle)... I increase my price to $250

per board assembly/kit. And then I might start selling 10 per month.

 

All very clearly commercial use.

Is there not a grey area for defining one's use before and after

commercial? Believe me, I don't see it justified to pay more than the

Hobbyist Software package because this is not my primary source of

income... not even close.

 

Opinions? Feedback?

 

Of course I can't speak for Cadsoft but IMHO the only non-commercial use

here would be if you built stuff for yourself and use it, or give it

away. Selling your one and only prototype at a ham fest or flea market

after you get tired of it is likely still ok. But I am sure selling

multiple boards is not ok with the hobbyist license.

You might want to consider buying the standard version without the

autorouter. I just bought the standard license with autorouter even

though I will use the layout and maybe the autorouter for only one

project ever, where at the most two prototypes will be built. They won't

even be sold but are meant to demonstrate feasibility of a product yet

that is still commercial use.

Regards,

enoughstatic

 

Hey, no ESD around here

--

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 30/11/14 23:33, Joerg wrote:

Of course I can't speak for Cadsoft but IMHO the only non-commercial use

here would be if you built stuff for yourself and use it, or give it

away. Selling your one and only prototype at a ham fest or flea market

after you get tired of it is likely still ok. But I am sure selling

multiple boards is not ok with the hobbyist license.

Strictly, yes, I have to agree that this line is the one that would most

likely stand up in court.

If you publish your designs on the web, free, under GPL or similar, then

that's non-commercial.

If you offer built up boards for sale at cost price only (so it's clear

you are not making profit, nor assigning any value to your time) then

it's probably non-commercial.

I have a case where we use my designs for a Scripture Union holiday,

where the young people etch boards and build them up to those designs.

The holiday itself is not free but the electronics projects are only one

of the technical activities and the additional cost for doing them only

covers the components and bare PCB. I'm pretty sure that counts as

non-commercial too (but in fact I have a paid-up license anyway).

Like Joerg, I'm struggling to think of any other cases where money is

involved which are not clearly commercial.

I was trying to figure this out too.

According to Arduino - FAQ you can derive from the arduino Eagle files as long as you release it as open hardware under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.

The according to there FAQ you can use what you made for commercial use.

In all it seems that Eagle is incompatible with arduino's open hardware licence.

On 03/12/14 23:07, Chris Butler wrote:

I was trying to figure this out too.

According to Arduino - FAQ (http://arduino.cc/en/Main/FAQ) you can

derive from the arduino Eagle files as long as you release it as open

hardware under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.

The according to there FAQ you can use what you made for commercial use.

 

In all it seems that Eagle is incompatible with arduino's open hardware

licence.

I see no incompatibility here.

It is very reasonable to assume that the Arduino foundation have paid

for a commercial Eagle license. This allows them to create designs for

commercial use.

If you have also paid for a license, you may also create designs for

commercial use.

The Arduino license concerns the use that YOU make of THEIR intellectual

property, namely that you are allowed to base your designs on it as long

as your design is Creative Commons. So long as you meet that

requirement, THEY have no problem with YOU using said design for

commercial use.

This Arduino license does not impinge or alter any other licenses that

may apply, including the one that requires you to have paid for your

copy of Eagle.