Intellectual Property Rights in a Fab City/Open-Source Hardware Context

The Fab City framework is based on the idea of the global sharing of information and knowledge combined with the local production of physical goods. Besides a digital infrastructure, this framework also needs a legal infrastructure in order to ensure compliance with the Fab City principles. In this regard, the law presents two conflicting approaches: exclusivity through Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) or sharing of information based on the credo of the open-source movement. Both of these approaches might be necessary to enable the Fab City concept to flourish. This article will address this seeming dichotomy. We will further examine the relevance of IPRs and their respective features to the Fab City framework and address licensing challenges that may emerge from their use.