DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]

As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]
History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
1. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
2. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived
from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
4. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original on June
29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
5. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved June
11, 2009.
6. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
7. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
8. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved March
30, 2010.
9. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
10. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
11. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
12. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on
May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
13. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
15. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
16. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not humanly
readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
17. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space. They
modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in September
2006, tarr.uspto.gov
18. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
19. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
20. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8, 2008.
Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
21. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
22. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on October 26,
2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
23. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
24. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
25. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
26. ^ Latest Status Info
27. ^ Latest Status Info
28. ^ Latest Status Info
29. ^ Latest Status Info
30. ^ Latest Status Info
31. ^ Latest Status Info
32. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
33. ^ Latest Status Info
34. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
35. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
36. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
37. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
38. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
39. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
40. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the original on
September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
41. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
 42. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August 23,
2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
43. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
44. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
45. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
46. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
47. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on January
31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
48. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived from the
original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
49. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
50. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High Priority"
Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
51. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation. Retrieved August
31, 2019.
52. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in free
software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
53. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or the new
beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
54. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
55. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11, 2014.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show
 CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
56. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
57. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived
from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
58. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
59. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original on June
29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
60. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved June
11, 2009.
61. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
62. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
63. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved March
30, 2010.
64. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
65. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
66. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
67. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on
May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
68. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
69. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
70. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
71. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not humanly
readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
72. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space. They
modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in September
2006, tarr.uspto.gov
73. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
74. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
75. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8, 2008.
Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
76. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
77. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on October 26,
2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
78. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
79. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
80. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
81. ^ Latest Status Info
82. ^ Latest Status Info
83. ^ Latest Status Info
84. ^ Latest Status Info
85. ^ Latest Status Info
86. ^ Latest Status Info
87. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
88. ^ Latest Status Info
89. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
90. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
91. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
92. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
93. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
94. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
95. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the original on
September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
96. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
 97. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August 23,
2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
98. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
99. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
100. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
101. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
102. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
103. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
104. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
105. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
106. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
107. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
108. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
109. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
110. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show
 CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]

As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
111. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
112. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
113. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
114. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
115. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
116. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
117. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
118. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
119. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
120. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
121. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
122. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
123. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
124. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
125. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
126. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
127. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
128. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
129. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
130. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
131. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
132. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
133. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
134. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
135. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
136. ^ Latest Status Info
137. ^ Latest Status Info
138. ^ Latest Status Info
139. ^ Latest Status Info
140. ^ Latest Status Info
141. ^ Latest Status Info
142. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
 143. ^ Latest Status Info
144. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
145. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
146. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
147. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
148. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
149. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
150. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
151. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
152. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
153. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
154. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
155. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
156. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
157. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
158. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
159. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
160. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
161. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
162. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
163. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
164. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
165. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show
 Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
166. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
167. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
168. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
169. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
170. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
171. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
172. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
173. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
174. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
175. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
176. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
177. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
178. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
179. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
180. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
181. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
182. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
183. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
184. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
185. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
186. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
187. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
188. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
189. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
190. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
191. ^ Latest Status Info
192. ^ Latest Status Info
193. ^ Latest Status Info
194. ^ Latest Status Info
195. ^ Latest Status Info
196. ^ Latest Status Info
197. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
198. ^ Latest Status Info
199. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
 200. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
201. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
202. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
203. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
204. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
205. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
206. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
207. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
208. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
209. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
210. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
211. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
212. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
213. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
214. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
215. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
216. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
217. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
218. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
219. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
220. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show
 Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]

As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
221. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
222. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
223. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
224. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
225. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
226. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
227. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
228. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
229. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
230. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
231. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
232. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
233. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
234. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
235. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
236. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
237. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
238. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
239. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
240. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
241. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
242. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
243. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
244. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
245. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
246. ^ Latest Status Info
247. ^ Latest Status Info
248. ^ Latest Status Info
249. ^ Latest Status Info
250. ^ Latest Status Info
251. ^ Latest Status Info
252. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
253. ^ Latest Status Info
254. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
255. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
256. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
257. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
258. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
259. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
260. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
261. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
262. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
263. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
264. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
265. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
266. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
267. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
268. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
269. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
270. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
271. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
272. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
273. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
 274. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
275. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
276. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
277. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
278. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
279. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
280. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
281. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
282. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
283. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
284. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
285. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
286. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
287. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
288. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
289. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
290. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
291. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
292. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
293. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
294. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
295. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
296. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
297. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
298. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
299. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
300. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
301. ^ Latest Status Info
302. ^ Latest Status Info
303. ^ Latest Status Info
304. ^ Latest Status Info
305. ^ Latest Status Info
306. ^ Latest Status Info
307. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
308. ^ Latest Status Info
309. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
310. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
311. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
312. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
313. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
314. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
315. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
316. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
317. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
318. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
319. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
320. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
321. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
322. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
323. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
324. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
325. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
326. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
327. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
328. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
329. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
 330. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]

As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
331. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
332. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
333. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
334. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
335. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
336. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
337. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
338. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
339. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
340. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
341. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
342. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
343. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
344. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
345. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
346. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
347. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
348. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
349. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
350. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
351. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
352. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
353. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
354. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
355. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
356. ^ Latest Status Info
357. ^ Latest Status Info
358. ^ Latest Status Info
359. ^ Latest Status Info
360. ^ Latest Status Info
361. ^ Latest Status Info
362. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
363. ^ Latest Status Info
364. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
365. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
366. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
367. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
368. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
369. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
370. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
371. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
372. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
373. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
374. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
375. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
376. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
377. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
 378. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
379. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
380. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
381. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
382. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
383. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
384. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
385. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
386. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
387. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
388. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
389. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
390. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
391. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
392. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
393. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
394. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
395. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
396. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
397. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
398. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
399. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
400. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
401. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
402. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
403. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
404. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
405. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
406. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
407. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
408. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
409. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
410. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
411. ^ Latest Status Info
412. ^ Latest Status Info
413. ^ Latest Status Info
414. ^ Latest Status Info
415. ^ Latest Status Info
416. ^ Latest Status Info
417. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
418. ^ Latest Status Info
419. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
420. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
421. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
422. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
423. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
424. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
425. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
426. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
427. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
428. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
429. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
430. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
431. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
432. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
433. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
434. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
 435. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
436. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
437. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
438. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
439. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
440. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show

CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).
History[edit]
DWG (denoted by the .dwg filename extension) was the native file format for
the Interact CAD package, developed by Mike Riddle in the late 1970s,[4] and
subsequently licensed by Autodesk in 1982 as the basis for AutoCAD.[5][6][7] From 1982 to
2009, Autodesk created versions of AutoCAD which wrote no fewer than 18 major
variants of the DWG file format,[8] none of which is publicly documented.
The DWG format is probably the most widely used format for CAD drawings. Autodesk
estimates that in 1998 there were in excess of two billion DWG files in existence. [9]
There are several claims to control of the DWG format.[10] As the biggest and most
influential creator of DWG files it is Autodesk who designs, defines, and iterates the
DWG format as the native format for their CAD applications. Autodesk sells a read/write
library, called RealDWG,[11] under selective licensing terms for use in non-competitive
applications. Several companies have attempted to reverse engineer Autodesk's DWG
format, and offer software libraries to read and write Autodesk DWG files. The most
successful is Open Design Alliance,[12] a non-profit consortium created in 1998 by a
number of software developers (including competitors to Autodesk), released a
read/write/view library called the OpenDWG Toolkit, which was based on the MarComp
AUTODIRECT libraries.[13] (ODA has since rewritten and updated that code.)
In 1998, Autodesk added file verification to AutoCAD R14.01, through a function called
DWGCHECK. This function was supported by an encrypted checksum and product
code (called a "watermark" by Autodesk), written into DWG files created by the
program.[14][15] In 2006 Autodesk modified AutoCAD 2007, to include "TrustedDWG
technology", a function which would embed a text string within DWG files written by the
program: "Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk
application or Autodesk licensed application."[16] This helped Autodesk software users
ensure that the files they were opening were created by an Autodesk, or RealDWG
application, reducing risk of incompatibilities.[17] AutoCAD would pop up a message,
warning of potential stability problems, if a user opened a 2007 version DWG file which
did not include this text string.
In 2008 the Free Software Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for
the DWG format, as neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that
are compatible with free software license like the GNU GPL. Therefore, the FSF placed
the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries' in 10th place on their High Priority Free
Software Projects list.[18] Created in late 2009, GNU LibreDWG[19] is a free
software library released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3 license. It can read DWG
files from version R13 up to 2021, and write R2000 DWG files.
Also in 2008 Autodesk and Bentley Systems agreed on exchange of software libraries,
including Autodesk RealDWG, to improve the ability to read and write the companies'
respective DWG and DGN formats in mixed environments with greater fidelity. In
addition, the two companies will facilitate work process interoperability between their
AEC applications through supporting the reciprocal use of available Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs).[20]
Autodesk trademark[edit]
On November 13, 2006, Autodesk sued the Open Design Alliance alleging that its
DWGdirect libraries infringed Autodesk's trademark for the word "Autodesk", by writing
the TrustedDWG watermark (including the word "AutoCAD") into DWG files it created.
[21]
Nine days later, Autodesk's attorneys won a broad and deep temporary restraining
order against the Open Design Alliance.[22] In April 2007, the suit was settled, essentially
on Autodesk's terms, with Autodesk modifying the warning message in AutoCAD 2008
(to make it somewhat less alarming), and the Open Design Alliance removing support
for writing the TrustedDWG watermark from its DWGdirect libraries. The effect of the
temporary restraining order and subsequent consent decree was to render the Open
Design Alliance's DWGdirect libraries, from one point of view, incapable of creating
DWG files that are 100% compatible with AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim.[23] Others
point out that the failure of "100% compatibility" means only that loading such a drawing
triggers an essentially irrelevant warning message when the file is opened in AutoCAD.
[24]

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
441. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
442. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
443. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
444. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
445. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
446. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
447. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
448. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
449. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
450. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
451. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
452. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
453. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
454. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
455. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
456. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
457. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
They modified it removing the space, prior to filing a US trademark application in
September 2006, tarr.uspto.gov
458. ^ Jump up to:a b FSF promotes need for open DWG packages
459. ^ Jump up to:a b GNU LibreDWG
460. ^ "Autodesk and Bentley to Advance AEC Software Interoperability". July 8,
2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
461. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
462. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 35, Transcript". Archived from the original on
October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
463. ^ AutoCAD Unsubstantiated claim
464. ^ "Autodesk v. ODA See line 50, Consent Judgment". Archived from the
original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
465. ^ "Latest Status Info". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
466. ^ Latest Status Info
467. ^ Latest Status Info
468. ^ Latest Status Info
469. ^ Latest Status Info
470. ^ Latest Status Info
471. ^ Latest Status Info
472. ^ DWG TrueConverter USA.autodesk.com
473. ^ Latest Status Info
474. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
475. ^ "dwg#page1.tif" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017.
Retrieved September 10, 2009.
476. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
477. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
478. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
479. ^ Ttabvue.uspto.gov
480. ^ "Docket -> 3:08-cv-04397 (Autodesk v. SolidWorks)". Archived from the
original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
481. ^ Complete text of Autodesk's press release - WorldCAD Access
 482. ^ "ODA Members | Open Design Alliance". Archived from the original on August
23, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
483. ^ United States Patent & Trademark Office
484. ^ "Latest Status Info". USPTO. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
485. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "WorldCAD Access". Retrieved September 24, 2011.
486. ^ "Summary of Final Decisions Issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board". Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1396: 47.
November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
487. ^ "Service & Support : Viewers". Autodesk, Inc. Archived from the original on
January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
488. ^ Grabowski, Ralph. "upFront.eZine Issue #836". upfrontezine.com. Archived
from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
489. ^ "About DWG". Autodesk.com. Autodesk Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
490. ^ Larabel, Michael (January 24, 2013). "FSF Wastes Away Another "High
Priority" Project". Phoronix. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
491. ^ "Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?". Free Software Foundation.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
492. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (January 26, 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in
free software?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.
493. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (December 27, 2012). "LibreDWG drama: the end or
the new beginning?". Libre Graphics World. Archived from the original on March 6,
2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
494. ^ "libdxfrw/Home". Sourceforge. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
495. ^ "FreeCAD and DWG Import on freecadweb.org". FreeCAD Web. November 11,
2014. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
show

Autodesk AutoCAD

show
 CAD software

Categories:

 Autodesk
 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).

In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on "DWG",[25][26] "DWG

EXTREME",[27] "DWG TRUECONVERT",[28] "REALDWG",[29] "DWGX",[30] "DWG
TRUEVIEW".[31][32] As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG
mark in US trademark filings.[33] Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has
been registered as a trademark by the USPTO. The REALDWG and DWGX
registrations were opposed by SolidWorks. The DWG EXTREME, DWG
TRUECONVERT, and DWG TRUEVIEW trademark registration applications all
received substantial resistance, with the USPTO examining attorney requiring Autodesk
to disclaim exclusive use of DWG as a condition for their registration.
In a non-final action in May 2007, the USPTO examining attorney refused to register the
two DWG marks, as they are "merely descriptive" of the use of DWG as a file format
name. In September 2007, Autodesk responded, claiming that DWG has gained a
"secondary meaning," separate from its use as a generic file format name.[34]
As of June 22, 2008, all of Autodesk's DWG-related trademark registration proceedings
were suspended by the USPTO, pending disposition of trademark opposition and
cancellation petitions Autodesk had filed against the Open Design Alliance and Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation. The USPTO office actions notifying Autodesk of this
noted that Autodesk was not the exclusive source of files with the format name DWG,
and Autodesk does not control the use of DWG by others, either as a trademark or as a
file format name, among other points.
In 2006, Autodesk filed an opposition with the USPTO to the trademark registration of
DWGGATEWAY by SolidWorks.[35] Autodesk subsequently filed a petition for
cancellation of SolidWorks' trademark registration for DWGEDITOR.[36] In both cases,
Autodesk's basis was that they had "been using the DWG name with its CAD software
products since at least as early as 1983." The opposition and cancellation actions were
consolidated, and suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit
against SolidWorks.[37]
In early 2007, Autodesk petitioned the USPTO to cancel the Open Design Alliance's
"OpenDWG" trademarks, claiming that they had been abandoned.[38] This cancellation
action was suspended pending disposition of Autodesk's US District Court suit against
SolidWorks.[39]
In 2008, Autodesk sued SolidWorks in US District Court, arguing that through its
marketing efforts, the term "DWG" has lost its original generic meaning and taken on a
secondary meaning referring specifically to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format,
and therefore any use of "DWG" in competitive products amounted to trademark
infringement.[40] In January 2010, on the morning that trial was scheduled to begin,
Autodesk and SolidWorks settled the suit, with SolidWorks acknowledging Autodesk's
trademark rights for DWG, surrendering its trademark registrations for its DWG related
projects, and withdrawing its opposition to Autodesk's DWG-related trademark
registrations.[41]
In April 2010, Autodesk and the Open Design Alliance settled their suit, with the Open
Design Alliance agreeing to cancel its DWG-based trademark registrations and cease
use of DWG and DWG-based trademarks in its product marketing and branding.
[42]
Because there was no adjudication in either case, the agreements between the
parties are not binding upon the USPTO. In March 2010, the Office of the Deputy
Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy at the USPTO determined that
evidence submitted by the Open Design Alliance two years earlier was relevant and
supported a reasonable ground for refusal to register DWG as a trademark.[43]
In June 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal[44] to register DWG as a trademark owned
by Autodesk. They were quoted as saying:[45]
DWG is merely descriptive of applicant's goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark
Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for "drawing," and (2) .dwg is
a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant's
CAD software and others' CAD software.
Autodesk appealed the decision. The USPTO affirmed in 2013 their refusal to recognise
DWG as a trademark.[46] Despite this, Autodesk websites still claimed DWG as a
trademark after the decision.[47]
In late 2014 Autodesk again lost, this time at the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia. The judge dismissed all their arguments.[48]
In 2015 Autodesk's website has a section title About DWG[49] in which they try to make a
distinction between .dwg as a file format and the DWG technology environment.
DWG support in freemium and free software[edit]
As neither RealDWG[11] nor DWGdirect are licensed on terms that are compatible
with free software licenses like the GNU GPL, in 2008 the Free Software
Foundation asserted the need for an open replacement for the DWG format. Therefore,
the FSF placed the goal 'Replacement for OpenDWG libraries'[18] in 10th place on their
High Priority Free Software Projects list.[50] Forked in late 2009 from
libDWG, GNU LibreDWG[19] can read all DWG files from version R13 on. But the
LibreDWG library, offered under the GNU GPLv3, could initially not be used by most
targeted FOSS graphic software, such as FreeCAD, LibreCAD and Blender, because of
a GPLv2/GPLv3 license incompatibility.[51][52][53] A GPLv2 licensed alternative is the
libdxfrw project, which can read simple DWGs.[54] Some of these CAD licenses were only
fixed recently to be able to use LibreDWG's GPLv3.
FreeCAD is a free and open-source application that can work with the DWG files by
using the proprietary ODA File Converter for .dwg and .dxf files from the Open Design
Alliance (ODA).[55] The ODA also provides a freeware stand-alone viewer for .dwg
and .dgn files, ODA Drawings Explorer, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that can open DWG and DXF
files using its own library.
Autodesk DWG TrueView is a freeware, closed source, stand-alone DWG viewer with
DWG TrueConvert software included, built on the same viewing engine as AutoCAD
software. The freeware Autodesk Design Review software adds a possibility to open
DWG files in Design Review to take advantage of measure and markup capabilities,
sheet set organization, and status tracking.
See also[edit]
 ISO 10303-21 – A widely used CAD 3D data exchange file format.
 CAD data exchange – Method of CAD drawing file translation
 AutoCAD DXF – CAD software interoperability file format
 BricsCAD – Computer-aided design software
 CAD – Constructing a product by means of computer
 Comparison of CAD software
 Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
 Design Web Format – Type of file format
 FreeCAD – Free and open-source 3D CAD software
 GstarCAD – computer software
 IntelliCAD – CAD editor and development platform
 LibreDWG – Software library for handling DWG files
 LibreCAD – Free and open-source 2D CAD software
 OpenDWG – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
 Open Design Alliance – Nonprofit organization creating SDKs for engineering applications
References[edit]
496. ^ "Media Types". www.iana.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
497. ^ "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Libre Graphics World.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
498. ^ Jump up to:a b "Guides to Good Practice: Cad_3-2". Archaeology Data Service.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
499. ^ "Mike Riddle's Prehistoric AutoCAD - Retro Thing". Archived from the original
on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
500. ^ "Existing products". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
Retrieved June 11, 2009.
501. ^ The Autodesk File: Footnote
502. ^ "DigiBarn Stories: Mike Riddle & the Story of AutoCAD, EasyCAD, FastCAD &
more". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
503. ^ "Autodesk blog". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
Retrieved March 30, 2010.
504. ^ Autodesk, Inc. "DWG Unplugged". Archived from the original on January 19,
1998. With over two billion AutoCAD DWG files worldwide...
505. ^ DWG: The Registration Attempts & Successes from WorldCAD Access
506. ^ Jump up to:a b c Autodesk - Developer Network - RealDWG
507. ^ Originally, OpenDWG Alliance. "Open Design Alliance". Archived from the
original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
508. ^ [1] Archived December 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
509. ^ Between the Lines: How to identify some problem DWG files
510. ^ [2] Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
511. ^ This "TrustedDWG code" is encoded into DWG files in a fashion that is not
humanly readable. This may be validated by using a binary editor to search a DWG file.
512. ^ Autodesk originally used the term "Trusted DWG", with an embedded space.
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External links[edit]
 LibreDWG is a work in progress developing Free Software libraries to support DWG files.
 Teigha is a software development platform used to create engineering applications including
CAD with native support of .dwg and .dgn files.
 Specification of the .dwg file format provided by Open Design Alliance.
 cad-blocks Example .dwg architecture files.
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 CAD file formats
 Computer file formats
 Filename extensions
 Open file formats
 This page was last edited on 6 May 2024, at 13:18 (UTC).