ikalogic
Member
Hello,
As i am starting a KITs design/selling business, and as my first product is starting to take shape (and i believe it will be interresting and worth stealing) i am concerned about protecting my work. I was hoping you guys could give me ideas and opinions about that.
The first kit i am building is a simple but powerfull 24 MSPS logic analyzer. It comes with a software side PC allowing waveform viewing and manipulation.
the problem is that i still want to give the circuit and hex code for hobbyists to do it at home. I don't care about personal use. My concern is that someone would take it and produce it in large scale. How can i prevent that?
I have a starting point. Since i am using objectiv developement's USB libraries, i'll buy 2 licenses , one hobby license and 150 commercial licenses ( V-USB - Licensing ). Each one of those 2 will have a specific Vendor ID and Product ID. So in the PC software side, i'll be able to detect if it is a hobby device build from the HEX source available on my website, or if it is a KIT that was sold by me or by my distributors.
In case of hobby license , i can display a message saying the device is not to be used for commercial purposes and not to be sold. but will this prevent some silly guys from making them with the hobby license and sell them on e-bay? i don't think so....
Also, i am not concerned about someone saying that he built it, since it need the PC software with my name and website on it..
So, to summarize, i want to have a mean of legally attacking a group of people in case they sell my devices in mass production... Would a Creative commons license do any good?
thank you in advance for sharing your opinions and experience on this matter.
As i am starting a KITs design/selling business, and as my first product is starting to take shape (and i believe it will be interresting and worth stealing) i am concerned about protecting my work. I was hoping you guys could give me ideas and opinions about that.
The first kit i am building is a simple but powerfull 24 MSPS logic analyzer. It comes with a software side PC allowing waveform viewing and manipulation.
the problem is that i still want to give the circuit and hex code for hobbyists to do it at home. I don't care about personal use. My concern is that someone would take it and produce it in large scale. How can i prevent that?
I have a starting point. Since i am using objectiv developement's USB libraries, i'll buy 2 licenses , one hobby license and 150 commercial licenses ( V-USB - Licensing ). Each one of those 2 will have a specific Vendor ID and Product ID. So in the PC software side, i'll be able to detect if it is a hobby device build from the HEX source available on my website, or if it is a KIT that was sold by me or by my distributors.
In case of hobby license , i can display a message saying the device is not to be used for commercial purposes and not to be sold. but will this prevent some silly guys from making them with the hobby license and sell them on e-bay? i don't think so....
Also, i am not concerned about someone saying that he built it, since it need the PC software with my name and website on it..
So, to summarize, i want to have a mean of legally attacking a group of people in case they sell my devices in mass production... Would a Creative commons license do any good?
thank you in advance for sharing your opinions and experience on this matter.