There should exist some kind of standard for creating "Open Products". In Software Development we got Open Source Licenses (as defined by the Open Source initiative), and Free Software Licenses (as defined by the Free Software Foundation).
However there doesn't seem to be as well established licenses for the hardware scene.
And even if you did apply the same licenses, I feel like to be an "Open Product" there should be some more stuff to follow.
Here is my current suggestion for what defines an "Open Product" (work in progress):
All software running on the device need to be released under an Open Source Licenses (as defined by the Open Source initiative) or an Free Software Licenses (as defined by the Free Software Foundation).
The device needs to work offline
The device should not ship with any "phone home" / telemetry functionallity thats on by default (needs to be opt-in)
Any server software needed for functionallity that is markeded needs to either:
a) Ship an Open Source / Free Software server that anyone can self host
b) Provide an API spec that anyone can implement
Any server functionallity should not be hard coded to only work with a given domain, ip address or software certificate
The device should allow the end user to flash any firmware they want
The device should be repairable, following at minimum these requirements
The device should ship with repair manuals
The device manufactorer should sell spare parts and tools needed for repair to anyone without needing any special contract
The device should ship with PCB designs / schematics licensed under an OSI / Free Software license
The device should ship with CAD drawings licensed under an OSI / Free Software license
The device should never have on-device advertisments
These are just some of my ideas for what one could consider an "Open Product". I'm tired of buying devices that require internet, that doesn't work without the manufactores custom app and propietary server software, for which you can't flash your own software.
We produce and throw so much shit in the dumpster, just because we live in a world where everything have to be a competition, instead of a world where we work together to build good products and make the world a better place for all of us.
Open source and Free Software have proven that there is a better way, we just have to get everything else over on that model as well.