[License-review] Submission: Open Source Copyleft License (OSCL) v1.0

[Timofey Zakharcuk]

Dear OSI review Committee,

I am submitting the Open Source Copyleft License (OSCL) v1.0, dated
February 20 2026, for consideration and approval by the Open Source
Initiative.

The license text is in the uploaded file: LICENSE.txt

I affirm that OSCL v1.0 complies with all ten criteria of the Open Source
Definition, including:

   -

   *OSD #3*: It allows modifications and derived works under the same
   license.
   -

   *OSD #5 and #6*: It does not discriminate against any person, group, or
   field of endeavor.
   -

   *OSD #9*: It does not restrict other software or require linking terms.


At this time, OSCL is a new license and not yet in use by public projects.
I plan to license my own software under OSCL and encourage adoption by
others seeking a modern, developer-friendly copyleft license.

 I, Timofey Zakharchuk, am the author and proposed steward of the OSCL, can
be contacted at: timofey.zakharchuk.research at gmail.com

 OSCL is a strong copyleft license designed to preserve software freedom
while offering
clear definitions of derivative works, linking, and unified works. It aims
to provide a modern alternative to the GPL, while retaining
compatibility with the GNU General Public License. It is intended to fill
the gap between permissive and strong copyleft licenses, for people who
want strong copyleft of the GPL and the file-level copyleft of MPL at one
time, offering freedom and clarity to its users.

Suggested SPDX Identifier: OSCL-1.0

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best Regards, Timofey Zakharchuk
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		Open Source Copyleft License (OSCL)
	Version 1.0, 20 February 2026

Copyright © 2026 Timofey Zakharchuk

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of the Software and associated documentation files, to use, copy, modify,
merge, publish, and distribute the Software, provided that all conditions of
this License are met.

Definitions:
    “Author” means the original creator of the Software.

    “Contributor” means any person who submits a Modification that is accepted
    into the Software by the Author or project maintainers.

    “Software” means the code, assets, and other files that are explicitly
    distributed under this License by the Author.

    “Modification” means any change to the Software, including additions,
    deletions, or alterations of existing material.

    “Derivative Work” means any work that incorporates or modifies the Software
    such that the modified portions form a single program or a unified work with
    the Software. A work that merely links to the Software’s public interfaces,
    without modifying the Software, is not a Derivative Work.

    “Unified work” means a work in which the Software and other code are
    combined into a single program such that they cannot reasonably be separated
    for independent use or distribution.

    “Links to” means dynamic or static linking to the Software’s public
    interfaces without modifying the Software itself. Linking alone does not
    create a Derivative Work.

    “Distribution” means making the Software or a Derivative Work available to
    any third party in any form, including source code, object code, or
    executable form.

    “Source Form” means the preferred form of the work for making Modifications.

1. Credit
    Redistribution or Distribution of the Software or any Derivative Work must
    preserve all existing copyright notices, this License text, and any Author
    attribution already present in the source files. No additional or subjective
    forms of attribution are required.

2. Copyright Notice
    The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
    all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

3. No Endorsement
    Neither the name of the Author nor the names of contributors may be used to
    endorse or promote products derived from this Software without specific
    prior written permission.

4. Patent Grant by Author
    The Author hereby grants a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license under
    any patent claims owned or controlled by the Author that are necessarily
    infringed by the use, reproduction, Modification, or Distribution of the
    Software or any Derivative Work, provided such actions comply with this
    License.

    This patent license terminates automatically if you initiate patent
    litigation alleging that the Software infringes a patent.

    You may distribute modifications in the form of patches to the original Software,
    provided that the recipient can apply them to produce a modified work under the terms of this License.

5. Contributor License Grant
    Each Contributor grants a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license under
    their copyright and any patent claims they own or control that are
    necessarily infringed by their Contributions, but only to the extent of the
    changes they contributed.

    This grant does not apply to any code or patents not contributed to the
    Software.

6. Copyleft: No Surrender of Others’ Freedom
    a. Any Modification of the Software must be licensed, in its entirety and in
       Source Form, under this License, version 1.0 or, at the recipient’s
       option, any later version published by the Author and approved by the
       Open Source Initiative.

    b. Any Derivative Work, as defined above, must be licensed under this
       License.

    c. A work that merely links to the Software, uses its public interfaces, or
       depends on it at runtime, without modifying it, is not a Derivative Work
       and may be licensed under any terms.

    d. You may distribute object code or executable forms of a Derivative Work
       provided that the complete corresponding Source Form is made available
       under the terms of this License.

    e. Mere aggregation of the Software on a storage or distribution medium with
       separate and independent works that are not combined into a unified work
       does not create a Derivative Work.

7. Stewardship of Future Versions
   The Author may designate a steward organization to publish future versions of this License. Any such designation must be made publicly by the Author.
   A designated steward may publish new versions of this License, but may not modify or republish this version (1.0).

8. Distribution
    Distribution of the Software in object or executable form must be accompanied by the complete corresponding Source Form
    or a written offer valid for at least three years to provide the Source Form at no more than a reasonable reproduction cost.
    The Source Form must be made available via a publicly accessible network server (e.g., Internet download) or equivalent well-publicized means.

9. Compatibility
    As a special exception, you may distribute Derivative Works of the Software under the terms
    of any version of the GNU General Public License (GPL) approved by the Open Source Initiative,
    provided that such distribution complies with all other applicable terms of this License. 
    This does not imply that GPL-licensed code may be relicensed under this License.

10. Disclaimer of Warranty and Limitation of Liability
    TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED
    “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
    LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
    PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

    THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH
    YOU. SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL
    NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION.

    IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
    DAMAGES, OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR
    OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
    USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

    If applicable law does not allow the full exclusion of liability, this
    disclaimer shall be enforced to the maximum extent permitted.

This License does not discriminate against any person or group, nor restrict the use of
the Software in any field of endeavor.

The rights granted under this License apply to all recipients of the Software, without requiring a separate license agreement.

End of License.