[Discuss] FAQ on preventing others from claiming ownership of open-source hardware?

[David A. Mellis]

Hi all,

One concern that seems to come up (e.g. in Pablo’s recent email) is that someone will try to patent, or otherwise claim ownership of someone else’s open-source hardware design. Potentially, this could include trying to prevent the original developer of the hardware from continuing their work. It seems like it would be good to address this issue in our FAQ (http://www.oshwa.org/faq/) — but I’m not quite sure what to say about it.

So, what suggestions do you all have for people that are worried about their open-source hardware project getting patented or otherwise claimed by a third-party?

I’ll try to synthesize people’s suggestions into a new FAQ.

David