Attack of the (PCB) Clones
Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:33 am
Hey guys,
I wanted to address a couple issues that have come up recently, and give others a chance to weigh in. Please read this to the end -- I'd appreciate any input/thoughts you might have!
We’ve grown quite a bit, but this is still very much a community of hobbyists/enthusiasts who just like to make and share cool stuff. One thing I did not anticipate with all that growth was the number of people who would be designing, manufacturing and selling custom parts. It’s been really cool to watch and be a part of, especially considering that the vast majority of people here are just doing it for fun as a hobby in their spare time.
With all that growth, we’re bound to hit a few bumps in the road. One of those that has popped up a couple times recently is people trying to copy another person’s work/design, and cash in on it by selling clones/reproductions.
I realize this can be kind of a gray area; sometimes there are only so many ways you can go about designing/making something. A good example of that would be glass screen covers for the DMG-01 case: a few people have made those and sold them here, but there’s literally only one way/shape to make them so I wouldn’t consider that to be ripping off someone else’s design or idea.
But sometimes it’s much more clear-cut, like with custom PCBs. Recently a forum member copied a version of Helder’s Game Boy Zero AIO board nearly wholesale: same features, same components placed in nearly the exact same locations, etc. The same user, it’s come to light, is trying to do the same thing with Helder’s mintyPi button PCB and screen board (this in addition to a another forum member trying to steal those designs from the PCB manufacturer a few months ago). Situations like these, I think most would agree, are not ok.
Going forward, we will be cracking down on this. If you try to sell something that is an obvious clone of someone else’s design, especially if you haven’t added anything novel to it or made it your own in some way, your thread will be locked, paypal buttons removed, and you may end up banned (if you have a legitimate thread that gets locked, please reach out to a mod or email me to explain the situation). If you want to iterate on someone else’s work (which in my opinion is fine), please reach out to the original designer/maker for permission, and indicate you’ve done so.
One more thing I’d like to bring up: I’ve seen a few other instances recently where someone was selling something they maybe didn’t create/design themselves, but were either just selling a single pre-assembled unit of a project they put together (like a mintyPi or GBZ), or were selling parts with permission from the creator(s) (like the forum member who recently sold a few mintyPi kits). People jumped to conclusions and broke out the pitchforks, and it was kind of sad/frustrating to see. So with all of the above in mind, let's also try to assume the best until proven otherwise.
I wanted to address a couple issues that have come up recently, and give others a chance to weigh in. Please read this to the end -- I'd appreciate any input/thoughts you might have!
We’ve grown quite a bit, but this is still very much a community of hobbyists/enthusiasts who just like to make and share cool stuff. One thing I did not anticipate with all that growth was the number of people who would be designing, manufacturing and selling custom parts. It’s been really cool to watch and be a part of, especially considering that the vast majority of people here are just doing it for fun as a hobby in their spare time.
With all that growth, we’re bound to hit a few bumps in the road. One of those that has popped up a couple times recently is people trying to copy another person’s work/design, and cash in on it by selling clones/reproductions.
I realize this can be kind of a gray area; sometimes there are only so many ways you can go about designing/making something. A good example of that would be glass screen covers for the DMG-01 case: a few people have made those and sold them here, but there’s literally only one way/shape to make them so I wouldn’t consider that to be ripping off someone else’s design or idea.
But sometimes it’s much more clear-cut, like with custom PCBs. Recently a forum member copied a version of Helder’s Game Boy Zero AIO board nearly wholesale: same features, same components placed in nearly the exact same locations, etc. The same user, it’s come to light, is trying to do the same thing with Helder’s mintyPi button PCB and screen board (this in addition to a another forum member trying to steal those designs from the PCB manufacturer a few months ago). Situations like these, I think most would agree, are not ok.
Going forward, we will be cracking down on this. If you try to sell something that is an obvious clone of someone else’s design, especially if you haven’t added anything novel to it or made it your own in some way, your thread will be locked, paypal buttons removed, and you may end up banned (if you have a legitimate thread that gets locked, please reach out to a mod or email me to explain the situation). If you want to iterate on someone else’s work (which in my opinion is fine), please reach out to the original designer/maker for permission, and indicate you’ve done so.
One more thing I’d like to bring up: I’ve seen a few other instances recently where someone was selling something they maybe didn’t create/design themselves, but were either just selling a single pre-assembled unit of a project they put together (like a mintyPi or GBZ), or were selling parts with permission from the creator(s) (like the forum member who recently sold a few mintyPi kits). People jumped to conclusions and broke out the pitchforks, and it was kind of sad/frustrating to see. So with all of the above in mind, let's also try to assume the best until proven otherwise.
