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

[Xiaofan C. <xia...@gm...>]

On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 3:20 AM, Peter Stuge <pe...@st...> wrote:
> 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.

Very good summary. Indeed these are my main concerns.

> 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 agree.

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

I agree.



-- 
Xiaofan