1. Definitions
1.1. “Work” means any creative, intellectual, technical, or material output covered under this
license, including data, text, software, design, research, art, or documentation.
1.2. “Contributor” means any individual or collective who has contributed voluntary,
cooperative, or solidarity-based labour without wage-based compensation.
1.3. “Commons-Aligned Entity” means any person, cooperative, non-profit, educational, civic, or
public-interest organization acting without extractive or exploitative intent.
1.4. “Capitalist Entity” means any organization or individual operating primarily for profit
through shareholder returns, rent extraction, or wage-labour exploitation.
1.5. “Reciprocity” means fair contribution to the collective (not less than 5% of gross benefit)
through monetary return, labour, infrastructure, or in-kind contributions.
1.6. “Commons Steward” means the designated body responsible for coordinating reciprocity,
mediation, and compliance.
2. Grant of Rights
Commons-Aligned Entities are granted a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and
distribute the Work for educational, civic, cooperative, or non-profit purposes, subject to reciprocity and
attribution requirements.
3. Reciprocity and Commercial Use
3.1. Any entity deriving commercial or proprietary benefit must:
- Publicly disclose the nature of use;
- Provide reciprocity as defined in 1.5;
- Release derivative works under this same license.
3.2. Capitalist Entities may not use the Work without:
- Written consent from the Commons Steward, and
- A signed Commons Reciprocity Agreement.
3.3. Failure to comply constitutes a material breach.
4. Attribution
You must credit Contributors and include the notice: This work is licensed under the Commons Labour License
(CLL-1.0).
5. Ethical and Ecological Use
The Work may not be used for harm to human rights, communities, or ecosystems. Prohibited uses include:
- Military or surveillance technologies;
- Predatory financial systems;
- Environmental exploitation;
- Discriminatory or oppressive applications.
6. Commons Stewardship
Contributors may appoint Commons Collective as Steward to coordinate reciprocity, manage redistribution, and
mediate disputes. If no steward is designated, contributions go to a recognized Commons Trust.
7. Termination
Violation of Sections 3, 4, or 5 terminates the license. Rights cease immediately until written consent from the
Steward is granted after curing breaches.
8. Mediation and Jurisdiction
Disputes must undergo Commons Mediation. If unresolved in 60 days, they proceed to binding arbitration under the
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (India) or equivalent.
9. Limitation of Liability
The Work is provided “as is,” without warranty. Contributors and Stewards are not liable for any damages arising
from use.
10. Versioning and Updates
This is Version 1.0. Future versions may be issued by Commons Collective and must uphold principles of protecting
commons labour, reciprocity, anti-exploitation, and ecological responsibility.
11. Miscellaneous
Interpretation should uphold the intent of preserving commons labour. Modifications require written agreement.
Moral rights remain unaffected.