GNU - How do I resell a specific printer?

I'd like to build some TAZ printers to sell. I'm a little confused about how the GPLv3 thingy works. If I want to sell my own version of the Lulzbot TAZ, how do I give Lulzbot credit for the original design? Along the same lines, can I call the machine I build anything I want, or do I need to include Lulzbot in the name? Do I need to call it a TAZ? Would calling it something like "MoonTimber TAZ" be appropriate? Would it be out of line to call it something totally unrelated like "SuperMesher" or "PlastiGroover" or "ThingamaJamster"? What are the rules and what are the conventions when people build and sell 3D Printers?

Hey,

* You can use all the files you want, they are all free/libre/open.

* When you sell/distribute your machines, you must include the source code as well, *from your own archive*. You can't just point them at our archive, you need to make your own copy.

* Any changes you make must be documented.

* The copyrights must remain in place, typically "Aleph Objects, Inc.". You can update the files and also append your own name to the files.

* For the name, don't use LulzBot, TAZ, or Aleph Objects. Pick something wholly new. This way people won't confuse your product with ours. You can include a line something like "FooBarBot is a clone of the LulzBot TAZ by Aleph Objects, Inc." or somesuch.

* The latest greatest dev files are here: [devel.lulzbot.com]

* When launched, that directory will be replicated here (not there at present): [download.lulzbot.com]

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I don't check the forum too often, so feel free to email me directly at moe@alephobjects.com.

Good luck,

-Jeff

That is exactly the kind of answer I needed. I really appreciate you taking the time to spell it out for me. Thanks!

I would like some minor clarification on the source code.

1) When I include "source code", I copy the related files from your site to my website, then modify them, correct? Do I need to include a printed or CD version with every item I ship or is the website sufficient? I'm assuming stl files are covered by source code.

2) Should every document have "Lulzbot TAZ" replaced with "MoonTimber FooBarBot", or do I append a paragraph at the beginning that states "MoonTimber FooBarBot is based on the Lulzbot TAZ" and leave the rest alone?

3) If I make a change to a part, do I post your original part document alongside the document for my part, or just the document for my part? For example, I may modify the extruder carriage so that I can cast it in resin instead of printing it. I would still have an "original" stl that I modeled to create my mold, so I could post the stl.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2014 07:38PM by MoonTimber.

Ideally, you would have some sort of online source control, like GitHub, to store the source code.