Re: [Libusb-devel] USB VID/PID for open source projects

[Peter S. <pe...@st...>]

Phi...@mi... wrote:
> Once a company or organization purchases a VID, they then "own"
> their PIDs and, short of selling them, can do what they will with
> them. Is this correct?

This matches my understanding following my communication with USB-IF.


> Maybe we could have Xiaofan restate his original concern/problem
> about obtaining VID/PIDs.

There are a few concerns, which are all legitimate:

1. The $2000 threshold of an own VID is high for amateur device
developers, and it also seems a little wasteful to allocate one VID
for what may be a single project.

2. Many USB chip vendors are happy to help smaller customers with a
PID allocation from the chip vendor's pool. But often chip vendors
(quite understandably) then require that the VID and PID will only be
used in projects using the vendor's chips.


Тихомиров Валентин wrote:
> The free PID trading would create the "messy gray market". So, you
> can do anything with your intellectual property only when you do it
> free of charge :)

I wouldn't even call it intellectual property. It is a number
assignment in a standardized context.

My impression is very much that USB-IF would have no objections
against an organization that manages PID assignments for projects
which can not themselves climb the $2000 threshold, and raising that
sum is not such a big deal if a bunch of people get together. But the
devil is, as always, in the details; running the organization needs
to be planned and criteria needs to be agreed upon, for it to be
successful and worthwhile.

I can completely understand that USB-IF do not want to *be* that
organization. They have a different purpose.


//Peter