@craftyjon thanks for the clarification on this. As you also mentioned here, it sounds like the license exception is really only valid while the symbol/footprint data is embedded inside the design files.
I am not sure why you would want to do the second thing in 5.99/6.0, but if you did, I would not recommend doing so (or if you do, I would not recommend mixing in other symbols that weren’t from the KiCad libraries and may have different license terms)
I’m trying to figure out how to publish a design as OSHW in a way that also includes the libraries so others can modify/remix/contribute to the project (including contributing changes to the library used in the design).
Some context:
I have been building up a KiCad library where some of the symbols/footprints in my library are modified derivatives of symbols/footprints from the official KiCad libraries. This library is currently used in multiple PCB designs. I include this library as a git submodule under each design so that I can maintain the library in one place and easily sync library changes to each in-progress design. Keeping the library checked in as a git submodule guarantees that when I clone the project in the future, I’ll also get a copy of the library at the exact revision that was used to create the design. In other words, I want to be able to git clone --recurse-submodules and have a fully portable copy of my project including all the libraries used to create it (no dependencies on libraries that come bundled with KiCad installer).
Now, I’m trying to figure out how to publish some of these designs as OSHW on GitHub/GitLab/etc in a way that easily enables others to contribute/remix that design. In order for other people to be able to contribute/remix the project, they need to have access to the libraries in addition to the schematic/layout (if they don’t have easy access to the source libraries, I don’t really think the design fulfils the spirit of OSHW). I was hoping to publish my PCB designs and the library under the CERN-OHL-P license, but the fact that the library would have to be published as a separate stand-alone repository requires that I publish it under the original KiCad libraries license.
In my original question above, I was trying to see if I instead just created a separate design-local library for each design, and only included the symbols/footprints that were actually used in that design, whether I could release the entire project under the CERN-OHL-P license. From your response, it sounds like that’s not possible.
However, it sounds like as long as I publish my library repository under the KiCad Libraries License, I can include it as a public submodule in a project published under a different license:
my-library/
└── LICENSE (KiCad Library License)
└── my-library.kicad_sym (contains some modified symbols from the official KiCad libraries)
my-project/
└── LICENSE (CERN-OHL-P)
└── my-project.kicad_sch
└── my-project.kicad_pcb
└── my-library/ <-- git submodule
└── LICENSE (KiCad Library License)
└── my-library.kicad_sym
Hopefully that all made sense. If you see any legal/licensing issues with this approach, LMK.