[License-discuss] Linkumori Free License, Version 1.0 – Submission for OSI Review
Pamela Chestek
pamela at chesteklegal.com
Mon Jun 22 04:33:26 UTC 2026
Is the license complete? In both versions this is at the end:
5. REDISTRIBUTIONS IN BINARY FORM
_APPENDIX: How to Apply the Linkumori Free License to Your Work_
So there do not appear to be any terms for redistribution in Binary
Form, and other parts seem to be missing.
With respect to your questions about Section 4, in 4(b) you say this:
"/Such notice need not appear on the same webpage as the redistribution,
provided it is accessible at a stable URL on that registered domain _and
_that URL is either disclosed in the Source Code Form of the
redistributing webpage or reasonably discoverable from it. A notice
served from any subdomain of the registered domain satisfies this
requirement/." The last sentence seems to say that I can put the notice
on any subdomain without having to comply with the preceding sentence
that the location be included in the source code form. So it could be a
needle in a haystack of subdomains? And can you give an example of how
the notice might be "reasonably discoverable from [the source code
form]"? Where am I seeing the source code to see the notice?
And what are you trying to accomplish with the complexity of the
registered domain? First, it's not clear whether "Registered domain" as
defined means a second/top level domain or it can mean
subdomain/second/top level domain. But why not just say it has to be
clearly identified? Why does it have to be on the same domain?
What is the problem that the CDN section is trying to solve?
In Section 4(b) you refer to "this list of conditions." What list of
conditions? Between the definitions and Section 1 (P.S., don't have
unnumbered paragraphs), you say "the following conditions" -- so is it
only Section 1 through (whatever the end is) that are the conditions?
Why not just make it the license?
In 4(c) you refer to "this section's notice requirement." There is a
distribution requirement in 4(b), is that the one you mean?
Why is distribution in binary form in a new section 5 rather than a
subsection of section 4? The introduction to Section 4 says the section
is for Source Code Form and Binary Form, so why would the requirements
for Binary Code be in a new section? Section 4(d) is also for transpiled
code, which you have defined as Binary Code in the definitions, so why
are you treating this one specific type of binary code differently from
the other types of binary?
There are also a number of drafting problems that I won't redline, but I
will make a few comments:
Be consistent. You use "shall" in some definitions and not others.
Don't mix language from different licenses. Each license has its own
structure and definitions, so plucking words or sections out and using
them in another license doesn't work. You added language from the BSD
license ("Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
without modification, are permitted provided that the following
conditions are met") but it is redundant to parts of the Apache license
that you kept. I see you added "run, modify and propagate" to the patent
grant language. I believe "propagate" is a term unique to the $GPLv3
licenses and it is defined there, so it doesn't work here without that
definition. Why did you add "run, modify"? The Apache patent license
grant lists all of the US exclusive rights of a patent owner, so what do
"run" and "modify" add?
You've moved some of the notice provisions from a stand-alone paragraph
to the copyright grant. Why? Does that mean they are no longer
conditions of the patent grant?
You've changed some of the original Apache words to words that, in my
opinion, are worse. What is the reason for changing "copyright owner" to
"copyright holder"? I don't know what a "holder" is but I do know what
an "owner" is. Is a non-exclusive licensee a "holder"? And you haven't
changed it consistently throughout, which means you're creating an
argument that there is some difference between a "copyright holder" and
a "copyright owner."
You've defined "Publicly Displayed or Performed" as a unitary term, but
then in the copyright grant referred to two separate rights, "publicly
display, publicly perform." If you define a term, you need to use it
that way.
You refer to "following disclaimer" but I don't see any disclaimer
anywhere, at least not described as such.
You need to be sure that your capitalization of defined terms is
consistent throughout.
Pam
Pamela S. Chestek
Chestek Legal
4641 Post St.
Unit 4316
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
+1 919-800-8033
pamela at chesteklegal.com
www.chesteklegal.com
On 6/17/2026 12:20 AM, subham mahesh wrote:
> Eariler i attached old draft of this license, consider this as final draft
>
>
> You can refer txt file or text pasted on this email
>
> Copyright 2026 Linkumori
> Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
> license document, but changing it is not allowed.
> Linkumori Free License
> Version 1.0, June 2026
>
>
> DEFINITIONS
>
> "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for use, reproduction, and
> distribution as defined in this document.
>
> "Work" means the copyrightable works covered by this License.
>
> "You" (or "Your") means an individual or Legal Entity exercising
> permissions
> granted by this License.
>
> "Licensor" means the copyright holder or entity authorized by the
> copyright
> holder that is granting this License.
>
> "Legal Entity" shall mean the union of the acting entity and all other
> entities that control, are controlled by, or are under common control with
> that entity. For the purposes of this definition, "control" means (i) the
> power, direct or indirect, to cause the direction or management of such
> entity, whether by contract or otherwise, or (ii) ownership of fifty
> percent
> (50%) or more of the outstanding shares, or (iii) beneficial ownership of
> such entity.
>
> "Contributor" shall mean the Licensor and any individual or Legal
> Entity on
> behalf of whom a Contribution has been received by the Licensor and
> subsequently incorporated within the Work.
>
> "Contribution" shall mean any work of authorship, including the original
> version of the Work and any modifications or additions to that Work or
> Derivative Works thereof, that is intentionally submitted to the
> Licensor for
> inclusion in the Work by the copyright owner or by an individual or Legal
> Entity authorized to submit on behalf of the copyright owner. For the
> purposes
> of this definition, "submitted" means any form of electronic, verbal, or
> written communication sent to the Licensor or its representatives,
> including
> but not limited to communication on electronic mailing lists, source code
> control systems, and issue tracking systems that are managed by, or on
> behalf
> of, the Licensor for the purpose of discussing and improving the Work, but
> excluding communication that is conspicuously marked or otherwise
> designated
> in writing by the copyright owner as "Not a Contribution."
>
> "Derivative Works" shall mean any work, whether in Source Code Form or
> Binary
> Form, that is based on (or derived from) the Work and for which the
> editorial
> revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications
> represent, as a
> whole, an original work of authorship. For the purposes of this License,
> Derivative Works shall not include works that remain separable from,
> or merely
> link (or bind by name) to the interfaces of, the Work and Derivative Works
> thereof.
>
> "Source Code Form" means the preferred form of the Work for making
> modifications, including but not limited to human-readable source code,
> documentation source, and configuration files.
>
> "Binary Form" means any form of the Work resulting from mechanical
> transformation or translation of a Source Code Form, including but not
> limited to compiled object code, minified or transpiled code, generated
> documentation, and conversions to other media types.
>
> "Publicly Accessible" means accessible to the general public via the
> internet
> without requiring authentication or membership in a restricted group.
>
> "Publicly Displayed or Performed" means made available to the general
> public
> through a website, web application, or other publicly reachable medium
> without
> access restriction.
>
> Redistribution and use of the Work in Source Code Form and Binary
> Form, with
> or without modification, are permitted provided that the following
> conditions
> are met:
>
> 1. GRANT OF COPYRIGHT LICENSE. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
> License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual, worldwide,
> non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright
> license to
> reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of, publicly display, publicly
> perform,
> sublicense, and distribute the Work and such Derivative Works in Source
> Code Form or Binary Form. You must retain, in the Source Code Form
> of any
> Derivative Works that You distribute, all copyright, patent,
> trademark, and
> attribution notices from the Source Code Form of the Work,
> excluding those
> notices that do not pertain to any part of the Derivative Works.
> You may
> add Your own copyright statement to Your modifications and may provide
> additional or different license terms and conditions for use,
> reproduction,
> or distribution of Your modifications, or for any such Derivative
> Works as
> a whole, provided Your use, reproduction, and distribution of the Work
> otherwise complies with the conditions stated in this License.
>
> 2. GRANT OF PATENT LICENSE. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
> License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual, worldwide,
> non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as
> stated in
> this section) patent license to make, have made, use, offer to
> sell, sell,
> import, transfer, and otherwise run, modify, and propagate the
> Work, where
> such license applies only to those patent claims, both currently
> owned by
> the Contributor and acquired in future, licensable by such Contributor
> that are necessarily infringed by their Contribution(s) alone or by
> combination of their Contribution(s) with the Work to which such
> Contribution(s) was submitted. This grant does not include claims that
> would be infringed only as a consequence of further modification of the
> Work. If You or Your agent or exclusive licensee institute or order or
> agree to the institution of patent litigation or any other patent
> enforcement activity against any entity (including a cross-claim or
> counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Work or any Contribution
> incorporated within the Work constitutes direct or contributory patent
> infringement, or inducement of patent infringement, then any patent
> rights
> granted to You under this License for the Work shall terminate as
> of the
> date such litigation is filed.
>
> 3. REDISTRIBUTIONS IN SOURCE CODE FORM. Redistributions of the Work in
> Source Code Form must retain the copyright notice, this list of
> conditions, and the following disclaimer.
>
> 4. REDISTRIBUTIONS VIA WEBSITE OR WEBPAGE. For the purposes of this
> License,
> redistribution of the Work via a website or webpage is defined as
> occurring
> only when a user's browser automatically downloads the Source Code
> Form or
> Binary Form of the Work as part of loading, rendering, or executing
> that
> webpage. Where such redistribution takes place on a Publicly Accessible
> website or webpage, the following conditions apply:
>
> (a) REGISTERED DOMAIN. "Registered domain" means any domain and its
> subdomains
> that a reasonable person would recognize as being operated by the
> same Legal Entity.
> For example, example.com <http://example.com>, docs.example.com
> <http://docs.example.com>,and cdn.example.comare all considered to
> share the same registered domain. Where ownership or operation of a
> domain is ambiguous,
> the determination shall be made in favor of the party seeking to
> comply with this License.
>
> (b) NOTICE REQUIREMENT. The copyright notice, this list of
> conditions, and the following disclaimer must be reproduced on
> at least
> one Publicly Accessible webpage served from the same registered
> domain
> as the webpage that causes the download. Such notice need not
> appear on
> the same webpage as the redistribution, provided it is
> accessible at a
> stable URL on that registered domain and that URL is either
> disclosed
> in the Source Code Form of the redistributing webpage or reasonably
> discoverable from it. A notice served from any subdomain of the
> registered domain satisfies this requirement.
>
> (c) CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORKS. Where the Work is served from a CDN or
> third-party hosting service operating under a registered domain
> different from that of the embedding webpage, the redistribution
> obligation under this section falls on the operator of the
> embedding
> webpage, not on the CDN or hosting service, provided that the
> CDN or
> hosting service: (i) serves the Work without modification to its
> content; and (ii) does so solely at the direction of the embedding
> party. A CDN operated by the same Legal Entity as the embedding
> webpage
> but under a different registered domain may satisfy this section's
> notice requirement by publication on either the CDN domain or the
> embedding webpage's domain, provided the notice remains Publicly
> Accessible.
>
> (d) BUNDLED AND TRANSPILED DISTRIBUTIONS. Where the Work has been
> mechanically transformed, minified, concatenated, or otherwise
> combined
> with other code into a Binary Form and served as part of a
> webpage, the
> notice requirement of subsection (b) applies to the operator of
> that
> webpage. Such notice may alternatively be embedded as a comment
> within
> the served Binary Form itself, provided the comment is not
> stripped or
> obscured prior to delivery to the user's browser.
>
> 5. REDISTRIBUTIONS IN BINARY FORM — NON-WEB. Redistributions of the
> Work in
> Binary Form used for any purpose other than a Publicly Displayed or
> Performed website or webpage must reproduce the copyright notice,
> this list of conditions, and the following disclaimer in the
> documentation
> and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
>
> 6. SUBMISSION OF CONTRIBUTIONS. Unless You explicitly state otherwise, any
> Contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the Work by
> You to
> the Licensor shall be under the terms and conditions of this License,
> without any additional terms or conditions. Notwithstanding the above,
> nothing herein shall supersede or modify the terms of any separate
> license
> agreement You may have executed with the Licensor regarding such
> Contributions.
>
> 7. TRADEMARKS. This License does not grant permission to use the trade
> names,
> trademarks, service marks, or product names of the Licensor or its
> Contributors, except as required for reasonable and customary use in
> describing the origin of the Work. Neither the name of the
> copyright holder
> nor the names of its Contributors may be used to endorse or promote
> products
> derived from the Work without specific prior written permission.
>
> 8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DISCLAIMER AND RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITY. You
> understand that although each Contributor grants the licenses to its
> Contributions set forth herein, no assurances are provided by any
> Contributor that the Work does not infringe the patent or other
> intellectual
> property rights of any other entity. Each Contributor disclaims any
> liability to You for claims brought by any other entity based on
> infringement of intellectual property rights or otherwise. As a
> condition
> to exercising the rights and licenses granted hereunder, You hereby
> assume
> sole responsibility to secure any other intellectual property
> rights needed,
> if any. For example, if a third-party patent license is required to
> allow
> You to distribute the Work, it is Your responsibility to acquire that
> license before distributing the Work. Each Contributor represents
> that, to
> its knowledge, it has sufficient copyright rights in its
> Contribution, if
> any, to grant the copyright license set forth in this License.
>
> THE WORK IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND
> ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
> IMPLIED
> WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
> DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
> LIABLE
> FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
> DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
> SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
> CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
> LIABILITY,
> OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF
> THE USE
> OF THE WORK, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
>
> ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
>
> APPENDIX: How to Apply the Linkumori Free License to Your Work
>
> The copyright notice at the top of this document applies only to the
> text of
> the License itself. It does not govern any Work You choose to release
> under
> this License. To apply the Linkumori Free License to Your own Work,
> attach the
> following notice to each file, replacing the bracketed fields with
> Your own
> information. Do not include the brackets.
>
> Copyright [YEAR] [YOUR NAME OR ORGANIZATION]
>
> Licensed under the Linkumori Free License, Version 1.0 (the
> "License");
> you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
> You may obtain a copy of the License at:
>
> [URL WHERE YOU HOST THE LICENSE TEXT]
>
> Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, the Work
> distributed under the License is provided on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
> WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
> See the
> License for the specific language governing permissions and
> limitations
> under the License.
>
> For source files, place this notice at the top of each file.
>
> For binary distributions (non-web), reproduce this notice in the
> documentation or other materials provided with the distribution, as
> required
> by Section 5 of the License.
>
> For web distributions, place this notice on at least one Publicly
> Accessible
> page of the same registered domain serving the Work, as required by
> Section 4
> of the License. A dedicated /licenses or /credits page is a common and
> acceptable location.
>
> If Your Work has multiple copyright holders (for example, where
> Contributors
> have added to the original), each holder's copyright should be listed on a
> separate line:
>
> Copyright [YEAR] [ORIGINAL AUTHOR]
> Copyright [YEAR] [CONTRIBUTOR NAME]
>
> Licensed under the Linkumori Free License, Version 1.0 (the
> "License");
> you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
> You may obtain a copy of the License at:
>
> [URL WHERE YOU HOST THE LICENSE TEXT]
>
> Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, the Work
> distributed under the License is provided on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
> WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
> See the
> License for the specific language governing permissions and
> limitations
> under the License.
>
>
> On Tue, 16 Jun 2026 at 21:30, subham mahesh <indsubham6 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear License Review Committee and Community,
>
> I am writing to formally submit the Linkumori Free License,
> Version 1.0 for OSI review and approval. I am the license author
> and steward.
>
> By way of introduction: I hold a BA in Social Science from
> Ambedkar University Delhi, and I am currently a law student at CPJ
> College of Higher Studies & School of Law, Guru Gobind Singh
> Indraprastha University, Narela, Delhi. My background in social
> science and my ongoing legal studies informed the drafting of this
> license, particularly its attention to practical attribution
> obligations across modern software distribution channels.
>
> The license text is attached as a plain text file.
>
>
> GAP FILLED
>
> Existing permissive licenses, including Apache 2.0, MIT, and BSD,
> were drafted before the widespread adoption of modern web
> bundling, CDN distribution, and transpiled JavaScript. None of
> them provide clear, enforceable attribution requirements for these
> distribution channels. The Linkumori Free License fills this gap
> through Section 4, which explicitly addresses attribution
> obligations for web and webpage redistribution, CDN and
> third-party hosting scenarios, bundled and transpiled Binary Form
> distributions, and the registered domain standard using the Public
> Suffix List (eTLD+1).
>
> This matters increasingly as IP enforcement around open source
> software grows and courts are asked to interpret attribution
> obligations in web contexts where existing license language is
> silent or ambiguous.
>
>
> COMPARISON TO APACHE 2.0
>
> The most comparable OSI-approved license is Apache License 2.0.
> Like Apache 2.0, the Linkumori Free License grants both copyright
> and patent licenses, permits modification and redistribution in
> Source and Binary Form, requires retention of attribution notices,
> contains a trademark non-endorsement clause, and includes a
> recipient IP responsibility clause.
>
> The key difference is Section 4, which Apache 2.0 does not have.
> Apache 2.0's attribution requirements are technology-neutral to
> the point of being unclear for web distribution. The Linkumori
> Free License adds explicit web-specific clarity without
> restricting any field of endeavor.
>
>
> OSD COMPLIANCE
>
> I affirm that the Linkumori Free License, Version 1.0 complies
> with the Open Source Definition, and specifically: OSD #3 (Derived
> Works) is satisfied by Section 1, which expressly permits
> Derivative Works. OSD #5 (No Discrimination Against Persons or
> Groups) is satisfied as the license contains no such
> discrimination. OSD #6 (No Discrimination Against Fields of
> Endeavor) is satisfied as the license imposes no field
> restrictions. OSD #9 (License Must Not Restrict Other Software) is
> satisfied as the license applies only to the Work itself.
>
>
> LEGAL REVIEW
>
> The license was drafted by me as a law student. It has not
> undergone independent review by a qualified legal professional,
> and I welcome scrutiny from the community during this process.
>
>
> LICENSE DETAILS
>
> Name: Linkumori Free License
> Version: 1.0
> Date: June 2026
> Steward: Linkumori
> SPDX Identifier: Not yet assigned
>
> I am subscribed to this list and will be attentive and responsive
> to all questions and comments.
>
> Thank you for your time and consideration.
>
> Sincerely,
> Subham Mahesh
> Law Student, CPJ College of Higher Studies & School of Law
> Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Narela, Delhi
> BA Social Science, Ambedkar University Delhi
>
>
>
> DISCLAIMER: This submission and any statements made herein do not
> constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. The
> analysis provided reflects the personal academic views of the
> submitter and is intended solely for the purpose of OSI license
> review. Individuals and organizations seeking guidance on
> licensing matters are encouraged to consult a qualified legal
> professional.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> The opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and not necessarily those of the Open Source Initiative. Communication from the Open Source Initiative will be sent from an opensource.org email address.
>
> License-review mailing list
> License-review at lists.opensource.org
> http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-review_lists.opensource.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org/attachments/20260621/9469bc89/attachment-0001.htm>
More information about the License-discuss
mailing list