# Gerber Files and PCB Design Data: What Altium and KiCad Hold

> Who owns Gerber files and PCB design files, what AI PCB design tools need from Altium and KiCad projects, how to archive them, and what CERN-OHL allows.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/guides/altium-kicad-pcb-design-data-ai
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-13
Updated: 2026-11-14
Sources checked: 2026-11-12

## Quick answer

Gerber files are generated from a board design, so whoever owns the design, under your employment, contractor and client contracts, controls them. On their own they are a fabrication image. AI PCB design tools need the source behind them: schematics, layouts, libraries, BOMs and test results. Altium's current agreement leaves your designs with you; KiCad projects are yours unless released under an open-hardware licence.

## Key points

- Gerber and drill files describe layers for fabrication; schematics, layout rules and part choices sit in the design source.
- Under Altium's Master Services Agreement (revised 2 October 2025) you retain rights in Your Data; Altium may use it to develop and improve its products.
- Altium 365 keeps Git-based project history; packaging a project offline does not carry that history with it.
- A KiCad project released under CERN-OHL-S can be copied by anyone, so it cannot be licensed exclusively.

## Who owns Gerber files and PCB design files?

Gerber files are an output of a board design, so they follow the design: the question is who owns the schematic and layout they came from. Three documents usually answer it: employment and contractor agreements for the engineers who drew the board, any design-services contract, and the contract with the client the board was made for. Read the NDA or terms under which you sent Gerbers to a fabricator or assembler too, since they set what that partner may do with the files. Ownership between companies is covered in [who owns client CAD files](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/product-design-consultancy-client-cad-files) and, for build partners, in [contract manufacturer design data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/contract-manufacturer-design-data-ai).

This is general information and not legal advice; a lawyer should read your board contracts and the licences quoted below.

For a rough figure on your boards, the [CAD archive value calculator](https://origindatapartners.com/tools/cad-archive-value) takes a few counts; for a fuller answer, [check fit with Origin](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).


## Does Altium use your PCB designs? What the current terms say

Altium's Master Services Agreement (last revised 2 October 2025, [Altium](https://www.altium.com/master-services-agreement)) says "You retain all right, title and interest in and to (i) all data and information (including Personal Data) transmitted or uploaded to the Altium Products by You or on Your behalf", plus the designs and intellectual property in them. It then grants Altium a licence to use that data to provide its products and "to develop, enhance, support and improve (including by detecting, investigating, mitigating, preventing, and fixing issues with) the Altium Products and other products and services of Altium and its Affiliates", "provided that such products and services do not disclose Your proprietary models, designs, schematics or Confidential Information to third-parties" ([Altium MSA, section 7.1](https://www.altium.com/eula/pdfs/altium_master_services_agreement_en.pdf)).

The agreement does not name AI or machine-learning training. "Develop and improve" is broad and extends to Altium's affiliates, so if exclusivity matters to a buyer, ask Altium in writing what that covers for your workspace.


## What AI PCB design tools need from your board files

Gerber files alone show copper, mask and silkscreen as images. The format's own site says X2 attributes, such as "Pad function: Is the flash an SMD pad, a via pad, or a fiducial, etc.?", "convey the design intent from CAD to CAM", and that "Attributes are superfluous when only the image is needed, but are invaluable when PCB data is transferred from design to fabrication." ([Ucamco](https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber/demo-1)). The intent that an AI PCB design tool learns from, the circuit, the part choices and the reasons for a layout, lives in the design source.

Buyers ask for both. [Mercor's hardware listing](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware) covers "Circuit designs" and lists "PCB designs and Gerber files" and "Measured test results for designs" as adding to what a company earns; it names Altium and KiCad among its tools.

| PCB record | Where it lives | Why an AI buyer wants it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Schematic | Altium project schematics; KiCad .kicad_sch | The circuit and its intent |
| Board layout and design rules | Altium board documents; KiCad .kicad_pcb and .kicad_dru | Placement and routing decisions |
| Symbol and footprint libraries | Altium workspace components; KiCad .kicad_sym and .kicad_mod | Part choices and footprints |
| Fabrication outputs | Altium release packages; KiCad Gerber, .gbrjob, .drl and .pos files | What was actually built |
| Bill of materials | Released with each board | Ties the design to real parts |
| Revisions and change history | Altium 365 commits and releases; Git history for KiCad | How boards changed between spins |
| Bring-up and test results | Outside the design tool | Whether the board worked |


## How to count your PCB design data

Count boards that were built, not files. A buyer will ask how many distinct board designs reached fabrication, how many spins each went through, and whether the BOM and test results for each spin still exist.

In Altium 365, the Project History view brings together events "including creation, commits, releases, clones, and MCAD exchanges", and full history needs "adding the project under the Workspace's own built-in VCS (Git)" ([Altium 365 documentation](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-365/project-history)). Releases are the best count of what was built. In KiCad, a project in Git has its commit history; projects without version control have only their current state, so count dated folders or fab packages instead.

| Count | Altium | KiCad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Board designs | Workspace projects | Folders with a .kicad_pro file |
| Spins or revisions | Releases in Project History | Git tags, or dated fab packages |
| Change history | Commits in Project History | Git commits |
| BOMs and test records | Managed BOMs; test data stored elsewhere | BOM files; test data stored elsewhere |


## How to archive Altium and KiCad projects with history

Altium: the Project Packager gathers a project into a "timestamped ZIP archive" ([Altium documentation](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/project-packager)). Altium's own knowledge base warns that taking a workspace project offline this way "will not retain the project history" ([Altium Knowledge Base](https://www.altium.com/documentation/knowledge-base/altium-365/transfer-workspace-data)). Released fabrication data comes out separately: the extraction options include "Downloading release packages." ([Altium documentation](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/connected-workspace/extracting-data)). So package the source, download each release package, and keep an export of the commit log, so the history survives as a record even outside the workspace.

Watch the clock if a subscription is ending. When an Altium subscription expires, "The workspace will remain in read-only mode for three months; during this time, users can export their data or renew their subscription to continue using Altium 365." ([Altium 365 Data Retention Policy](https://www.altium.com/platform/data-retention-policy)). The MSA adds: "You are solely responsible for maintaining comprehensive back-up copies of all Your Data." ([Altium MSA](https://www.altium.com/eula/pdfs/altium_master_services_agreement_en.pdf)).

KiCad: File, then Archive Project, zips the project, and "The archive tool saves the following files from your project folder into the archive", from schematics and boards to Gerber, drill and position files. "KiCad schematic and board files contain all the schematic symbols and footprints used in the design", and "The KiCad Project Manager integrates with the Git version control tool for tracking changes in your projects." ([KiCad documentation](https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/kicad/kicad.html)). Archive the Git repository itself, not only the zip, to keep the history.


## Open-hardware licences: what CERN-OHL and the KiCad library licence allow

A board you released as open hardware cannot be sold exclusively. Under the CERN Open Hardware Licence v2, Strongly Reciprocal, "Source" covers "design materials or digital code which can be applied to Make or test a Product"; anyone "may copy and Convey verbatim copies of Covered Source, in any medium, provided You retain all Notices."; "Including Covered Source in a larger work is modifying the Covered Source, and the larger work becomes modified Covered Source."; and "You shall not attempt to restrict by contract or otherwise the rights granted under this Licence to other Licensees." ([CERN-OHL-S v2](https://gitlab.com/ohwr/project/cernohl/-/wikis/uploads/819d71bea3458f71fba6cf4fb0f2de6b/cern_ohl_s_v2.txt)). The weakly reciprocal and permissive variants differ; read the licence file in each repository.

The KiCad libraries are different: using them does not open your design. "Use of the library data in a project does not (by itself) require that the design or any files generated from the design are licensed under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 License." The exception stops at redistribution of the libraries themselves: "if you wish to redistribute the KiCad libraries, or parts thereof (including in modified form) as a collection then the exception above does not apply." ([KiCad](https://www.kicad.org/libraries/license/)). Leave library folders out of a delivery and send your own designs.

| Project status | Can you license it to an AI buyer? |
| --- | --- |
| Private Altium or KiCad project your company owns | Yes, after the checks on this page |
| Released under CERN-OHL-S or another open-hardware licence | Anyone may already use it; not exclusively, and usually of little value |
| Private design that uses KiCad library parts | Yes; the library licence does not reach the design |
| Design that includes a released open-hardware block | Check the licence: under CERN-OHL-S the larger work is covered |


## What to remove from a PCB archive first

Then pair each remaining board with its BOM and any test results before a buyer sees a sample.

- Boards designed for customers who own them, and reference designs supplied under a vendor licence.
- Purchased or vendor component libraries and third-party IP blocks; keep the references, drop the library files.
- Export-controlled boards: classify each design before sharing it, using the [checklist for ITAR and EAR on design files](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/itar-ear-checklist-cad-data-ai).
- Names of engineers and customers in title blocks, BOM notes and commit messages; see the [de-identification guide](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/de-identify-company-data-before-licensing).


## What a Gerber file set contains, and how to view one

The Gerber format's official site calls it "the de facto standard for printed circuit board (PCB) design data transfer". Gerber layer files cover "copper layers, solder mask, legend, and drill and route data", plus a Gerber job file that carries fabrication characteristics "such as thickness or finish". The files are 7-bit ASCII, so they are human-readable ([Ucamco](https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber)).

You can view them without the design tool. Ucamco offers an online Reference Gerber Viewer, and KiCad ships GerbView, "a Gerber file (RS-274X format) and Excellon drill file viewer" that shows up to 32 files at once and can highlight items by net or component when the files carry X2 attributes ([KiCad](https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/gerbview/gerbview.html)). Viewing a set this way is a quick check of what a fabricator received before you count a board as part of an archive.


## What PCB design data is worth to AI buyers

Circuit boards have no price of their own in public. They sit inside one listing, [Mercor's Hardware Engineering Company page](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware), whose advertised band of $45K to $1.3M per firm spans mechanical assemblies, circuit designs and test results together. No PCB-only figure and no completed sale has been reported, so use the band only as an outer bound.

The listing counts circuit designs alongside mechanical CAD, so a company with both should value them together: see [Fusion design archives](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/fusion-360-data-ai-licensing), [Onshape documents](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/onshape-data-ai-licensing) and [licensing CAD and engineering data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/license-cad-engineering-data-ai). Drone and EV makers often hold both kinds; see [drone and EV engineering data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/drone-ev-engineering-data-ai).

Does your company hold records like these? [See what your data is worth](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).

Origin Data Partners works with companies that own data and helps get it bought. We are independent of the services on this page, and a buyer may pay us when a deal closes ([how Origin is paid](https://origindatapartners.com/referral-disclosure)). [See what your data is worth](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).


## Questions and answers

### Who owns Gerber files?

Whoever owns the board design they were generated from. That is settled by the employment, contractor, design-services or client contract under which the board was drawn, not by who holds a copy. Also read the NDA or terms under which you sent Gerbers to a fabricator. Check all of these before licensing any board.

### Are Gerber files enough for AI PCB design training?

Rarely on their own. Gerber files describe layer images, and X2 attributes label layer and pad functions for fabrication. The circuit, part choices and layout reasoning sit in schematics, board files, libraries and BOMs. Buyers ask for those with the Gerbers, plus test results showing whether each board worked.

### Does Altium use my PCB designs to train AI?

Altium's Master Services Agreement, revised 2 October 2025, does not mention AI training. You retain rights in your data, and Altium may use it to develop and improve products of Altium and its affiliates, without disclosing your designs or schematics to third parties. Request Altium's written answer if exclusivity matters to your buyer.

### How do I export an Altium 365 project with its history?

Package the project with the Project Packager, download each release package, and export the commit log from Project History. Altium's knowledge base says packaging a workspace project offline does not retain its history, so the log keeps the record. After a subscription expires, the workspace stays read-only for three months.

### Can I license a KiCad project released under CERN-OHL?

Not exclusively. CERN-OHL-S lets anyone copy and convey the covered source and forbids restricting those rights by contract, and a larger work that includes it becomes covered too. Anyone can already use a released project. Private KiCad projects that only use the KiCad libraries are different: the library licence does not reach your design.

### What is a PCB dataset, and is our design archive one?

For AI buyers, a PCB dataset pairs schematics and board layouts with libraries, BOMs, fabrication files and, ideally, test results, across many boards and revisions. A company archive of boards that were built and tested is rarer than public open-hardware projects, which anyone can already download.

### How much is PCB design data worth to AI companies?

No PCB-only price is public. Circuit designs come under the range Mercor advertises for each hardware company it licenses from, $45K to $1.3M, which also lists PCB designs and Gerber files as adding value. It is an advertised range covering mechanical CAD too, not the price of any completed sale.

### Can Gerber files be turned back into an editable PCB design?

Only partly. KiCad's GerbView has a limited "Export to PCB Editor" that turns flashed items into vias and lines into track segments, and KiCad notes that rasterized items, typically negative objects, cannot be converted. Gerbers carry no schematic, so the original project files are what an archive needs, not only the Gerbers.

## Sources

- [Altium Master Services Agreement (PDF)](https://www.altium.com/eula/pdfs/altium_master_services_agreement_en.pdf)
- [Altium Master Services Agreement page (last revised 2 Oct 2025)](https://www.altium.com/master-services-agreement)
- [Altium 365 Data Retention Policy](https://www.altium.com/platform/data-retention-policy)
- [Altium Designer documentation: Working with the Project Packager](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/project-packager)
- [Altium Knowledge Base: Transfer workspace data](https://www.altium.com/documentation/knowledge-base/altium-365/transfer-workspace-data)
- [Altium 365 documentation: Project History](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-365/project-history)
- [Altium Designer documentation: Extracting data from a Workspace](https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/connected-workspace/extracting-data)
- [KiCad 9.0 documentation: KiCad project manager and files](https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/kicad/kicad.html)
- [KiCad: Libraries license](https://www.kicad.org/libraries/license/)
- [CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2, Strongly Reciprocal (licence text)](https://gitlab.com/ohwr/project/cernohl/-/wikis/uploads/819d71bea3458f71fba6cf4fb0f2de6b/cern_ohl_s_v2.txt)
- [Ucamco: Gerber X2, official Gerber format website](https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber/demo-1)
- [Mercor Data: Hardware Engineering Company listing (read 12 Nov 2026)](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)
- [Ucamco: Gerber Format, official site](https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber)
- [KiCad 9.0 documentation: Gerber Viewer (GerbView)](https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/gerbview/gerbview.html)

## Related reading

- [Licensing CAD files and engineering data to AI companies](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/license-cad-engineering-data-ai)
- [ITAR and EAR Checklist Before You Share CAD Files With AI](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/itar-ear-checklist-cad-data-ai)
- [/tools/cad-archive-value](https://origindatapartners.com/tools/cad-archive-value)
- [Fusion 360 Data and Design Files: What They Are Worth to AI](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/fusion-360-data-ai-licensing)
- [Onshape Data and Documents: Who Owns Them and Their AI Value](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/onshape-data-ai-licensing)
- [Who Owns CAD Files: the Design Consultancy or the Client?](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/product-design-consultancy-client-cad-files)
- [Who Owns Contract Manufacturer Tooling and Process Data?](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/contract-manufacturer-design-data-ai)
- [Drone and EV Engineering Data for AI: CAD and Test Logs](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/drone-ev-engineering-data-ai)
- [Chip Design Data for AI: What Design Firms Can License](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/chip-design-firm-data)
- [Design Verification Plan Template: Coverage and Sign-off](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/design-verification-plan-template)
- [CAD Data and Quality Records for AI: Manufacturer Guide](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/engineered-product-manufacturer-data)