key: bohl-0.2
short_name: BOHL-0.2
name: The Balloon Open Hardware License v0.2
category: Permissive
owner: iTechnic
spdx_license_key: LicenseRef-scancode-bohl-0.2
text_urls:
  - https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215620/http://www.balloonboard.org/docs/Balloon_License_0v2.pdf
ignorable_copyrights:
  - Copyright (c) 2006 2007 iTechnic Ltd
ignorable_holders:
  - iTechnic Ltd
ignorable_urls:
  - http://www.balloonboard.org/
text: "The Balloon Open Hardware License (BOHL)\nVersion 0.2 For Discussion\nThe Text of this\
  \ License is Copyright (c) 2006 2007 iTechnic Ltd\nPermission is granted to copy this license\
  \ unmodified and use it to protect Open Hardware\nDesigns.\n\nPreamble\nThis license agreement\
  \ covers hardware designed, manufactured and distributed on an open basis.\nThe license outlines\
  \ the Terms and Conditions placed on the use of the design. When licensing\nOpen Hardware\
  \ it is important to note that there is a significant distinction between Open\nHardware and\
  \ Open Software particularly with respect to both the design process and the\nreplication\
  \ process.\nFirstly the design and replication of hardware is different because there are\
  \ intermediate steps in\nthe processes that are valuable in their own right. Secondly the\
  \ process of replication can involve\nconsiderable time, cost and expertise. For these reasons\
  \ it is not appropriate to simply transfer\nlicenses that have validity in the software domain\
  \ (such as the GPL) to the hardware domain.\nThis license is intended to establish an Open\
  \ Design approach in the hardware domain while\nbuilding in practical safeguards, which are\
  \ necessary for the design and manufacture of hardware,\nwhere manufacturers take a financial\
  \ and legal risk when replicating Open Hardware and where\nthe physical product must conform\
  \ to approvals if its sale is to be legal. It is also important to\nprotect designers from\
  \ issues of liability particularly as many designers may be working as\nindividuals and therefore\
  \ not protected by an employer.\nThe license is written to apply to any type of hardware produced\
  \ using an Open Hardware design\nprocess. It has originated from the Balloon Project (www.balloonboard.org)\
  \ but the license can be\nfreely applied to any Open Hardware.\nIn order to augment the text\
  \ of the license it is accompanied by Notes and Appendices. The\nnotes help to provide interpretation\
  \ and guidance within the text of the license and the\nappendices contain more detailed discussions\
  \ about the operation of the license and detail the\ntypes of Manufacturing Information and\
  \ Design Documentation that might be provided as a part\nof any Open Hardware Design. The\
  \ notes do not form part of the License but are intended to\nclarify the intention of the\
  \ license. The Appendices are intended to provide uniformity to the way\nthat hardware designs\
  \ are released and managed when using this license.\n{Notes occur in the text of the License\
  \ between curly brackets and in italics}\n\nPurpose\nThe purpose of this license is to protect\
  \ the designers of the hardware from any form of litigation\nresulting from its design, manufacture,\
  \ distribution or use. \nIt is also the purpose of this license to ensure that the design\
  \ remains Open in the sense detailed\nin the license and that manufacturers, distributors,\
  \ and users are obliged to adhere to the Open\nprinciples of the design and to protect their\
  \ rights to access the design as specified in the license."