← Back to context

Comment by robinsonb5

11 hours ago

Copyright law forbids the creation of derivative works (excepting any region-specific fair-use rules) so you're only allowed to create them under the rights granted to you in the terms of the license - thus under this particular license you can't make commercial use of derivative works.

But is a physical item a derivative work of it's technical specifications?

If the design files qualify for copyright protections, then modifications to them would clearly be derivative works.

I don't think it is clear if the keyboard itself would be a derivative work, as it almost certainly can't be protected by copyright. This is what patents are for.

  • Ianal, usual disclaimers, etc.

    The design files don't qualify for copyright protections, they describe the design which (maybe) qualifies for copyright protections.[0]

    The artistic design of a specific keyboard can certainly be copyrighted, but not the functional nature of it.

    [0]The exact wording might be protected, but not the factual information contained. Sports scores, or say measurements of a keyboard, are not copyrightable items as they are just facts, though their presentation might be.