Note: This guide is not legal advice. It is an (unqualified) attempt to speak plainly about legal issues.
Advancements in 3D printing, laser engraving, graphic printing, CNC routing, and other manufacturing tools have made it possible to duplicate items that fall under the legal protection of copyright, trademark, and patents. The use of such protected works usually requires obtaining a license from the owner before you can use those designs. However, many of these legal protections do contain an exception for private use. For example, it is possible that you may be able to make something that is protected if it will stay in your home but you are definitely not allowed to sell it.
Copyright -- The creator of an original work, upon creation of the work, has the rights to protect its availability to the public. This includes reproduction of the work, distribution of copies, performance or use of the work, display of the work, and preparation of derivative works. The holder of the copyright has the right to control the transfer of these rights to individual people or larger groups through licensing, assignment, and other transfers.
Trademark -- Brand names, logos, slogans, phrases, symbols, and other identifying designs fall under trademark protection. These are marks that distinguish the trademark holder from other sources of goods and services. These protections often allow the creator to disallow the use of trademark to prevent suffering from the association with goods or services from a (possibly inferior) competing source.
Patent -- Innovative and/or technological advances are covered by patent law. Exclusive rights to the work are granted to the holder with the understanding that details of the work are publicly disclosed. Patent law is a long and expensive process and these protections are usually negotiated by an attorney or agent.
Public Domain -- When intellectual property rights do not apply to creative work -- because of expiration, forfeiture, or waiver -- that work becomes part of the public domain. If something was published more than 96 years ago, it is likely part of the public domain. Works by Shakespeare or Beethoven, for example, can be recreated and used however you want.
It is possible to make items that infringe on one or more of these legal protections using equipment in the Makerspace. You assume responsibility for the legal ramifications of the activity that you undertake while using the Makerspace. This includes leaving traces of protected material on any of our computers. The Makerspace is for participants to create their own original works and designs with the strict policy of private use for any other works. When participants create something new and original, they have protected rights to their own creations. We are not interested in claiming, distributing, or reproducing your original work, but you are responsible for removing your original designs -- including files -- from public access after you are finished.
The open-source culture is centered around sharing creative knowledge while still protecting the original creators. Creative Commons copyrights often explicitly grant anyone a license at no cost as long as they follow simple rules. The author or licensor has the right to set any of these conditions:
Attribution -- If this is in the license, then you are required to credit the original author or licensor for any public use of the work.
Share-Alike -- If this is in the license, you own the license to your customization, remix, or modification, but your protections cannot be more restrictive than the original license.
Non-Commercial -- If this is in the license, you are not allowed to use this work for commercial purposes.
No Derivative Works -- If this is in the license, you can use the original work "as is" but cannot customize, remix, or modify it.
If a condition is not set in the Creative Commons license, then you are not restricted to it. For example, if the "no derivatve works" condition is not explicitly set, then you may customize as you like.
Note: Regardless of the "Non-Commercial" condition, our Makerspace does not allow you to make something that you intend to use for commercial purposes. This is just for your knowledge in case you want to use our program as a template for use with your own personal equipment.