Many OpenBIM standards are copyrighted???
"Many OpenBIM standards are copyrighted."
I just read this line on the OpenBIM page of the OSArch Wiki. I'm flabbergasted...
I am aware that Bentley is abusing "Open" for many of their products (OpenRoad, OpenBridge, OpenGround, OpenTunnel, etc.), but wasn't aware that there are also "many" OpenBIM standards that are copyrighted?
Which are these?
IFC is an example of an OpenBIM standard, right? Is IFC copyrighted?
Comments
Yes. Blender is also copyrighted. IfcOpenShell is also copyrighted. Copyrighting is just how the law (copyright law) works in the world.
The difference is in what copyright license is used. Some fall under the "free software" definition or "OSI definition", and within those, some are permissive and some are "copyleft". This is all in contrast to proprietary or nonfree licenses.
IFC uses the Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 license.
Oke oke, interesting.
Thanks for the clarification.
Are there also OpenBIM standards that are licensed under proprietary or non-free license?
I don't think so, because by definition "OpenBIM" means an open data standard for use in BIM. If it's a proprietary data standard, it cannot be OpenBIM.
Seems like a weird sentence in the wiki. Feel free to delete it.
Done
I've been luke warm on CC BY-ND 4.0 license. If something is ND, is it even open source--in definition and in spirit?
https://chatgpt.com/share/1458327b-53e0-411d-8161-5e188cc6a163
Agreed, the ND clause means that it is not open source by definition. However I believe this is more of a technicality of the ISO process - that you cannot have forked standards - there is only one standard. That said, all of buildingSMART's tools are under legitimate open source licenses, and the communication and workflows are increasing in transparency. Where it does not, it's important to be critical and help shape it to what us, the industry, needs it to be - a collective effort.
Just wondering does buildingsmart have free and open training courses to promote adoption of the standard
Maybe something for @berlotti to answer?
Nice discussion. I see all the answers from @dionmoult are spot on.
Our tools are indeed almost all open source and under proper open source licenses. The most recent IDS Audit tool under MIT for example, just like the fully open source validation service that uses IfcOpenShell (LGPL).
The standards are indeed CC ND. This is where the balance comes in between open and standard. It is open in the way you can do without whatever you want; except changing it because then it is not a standard anymore. You can amend it (we actively encourage that with bSDD for example) and propose suggestions for change. These suggestions are then discussed in the wider community (all open and transparant) and might end up in the next release. A standard is only a standard if it stays the same.
On the topic of training material and courses I would point to https://education.buildingsmart.org/, https://user.buildingsmart.org/ and https://www.youtube.com/@buildingSMARTInternational/videos
These sources don't have the amount of information we would like them to have, but it is a start!