[License-review] License Review: IDCIYMI-1.0 (I Don't Care If You Mod It)

Fri Jan 16 11:36:19 UTC 2026

Dear  Carlo,
Thank you for your candid and professional feedback. I understand your
concerns regarding license proliferation and the legal nuances of the MIT
structure.
To be clear, the reason it's confusing to read is because I have Autism and
ADHD, which means that when I tell people stuff in a different way.
1. Regarding Sublicensing:
The removal of the sub licensing clause was an attempt at simplification,
but I acknowledge that it creates legal ambiguity. I will restore the
standard MIT language ("and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so...") to ensure full legal compatibility and clarity for
downstream users.
2. Rationale and Proliferation:
I hear your invitation not to create "entropy." However, I believe IDCIYMI
addresses a specific social gap in 2026. While the legal core is MIT,
the "Creator
Note" is intended to be a standardized, non-binding (non-legal) field. In
current practice, creator intent is scattered across READMEs and NOTICE
files in inconsistent ways. IDCIYMI aims to provide a formal, predictable
"home" for this aspirational language without altering the legal conditions
of the license itself.
3. Clarifying Aspirational Language:
To avoid the "confusion" you mentioned, I will add a clear prefix to the
section stating: *"The following Creator Note is for informational purposes
only and does not constitute a legal condition of this license."*
I am a beginner developer (Bernardo Hora) passionate about modding culture.
My goal is to lower the "fear of entry" for new modders who find
traditional legal text intimidating. I am open to further adjusting the
text to ensure it provides value to the ecosystem without wasting the
community's time.
Best regards,
Bernardo Hora
------------------------------

On Fri, Jan 16, 2026 at 11:10 AM Carlo Piana via License-review <
license-review at lists.opensource.org> wrote:

> Dear Bernardo,
>
> I notice that the most relevant change to the MIT is the removal of the
>
> > and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
> subject to the following conditions
>
> part. This is the "sublicensing" permission. I am not sure a sublicensing
> permission is required, since the later users of the software can derive
> this permission from the original licensing, however they would receive the
> software, without the need to receive it as an effect of the last
> distribution. But I don't quite get the rationale of having a new MIT-style
> license which leaves this implicit. Has a lawyer performed any kind of
> assessment here? Why?
>
> Moreover, the addition of aspirational language in legal text, especially
> without a clear indication that this is not legal text, is IMHO a source of
> potentially confusing language, and is for sure an invitation to create
> more proliferation and entropy. Have you have ever tried to perform an OSS
> compliance audit on any piece of software only to find the umpteenth
> license to clear for no reason at all, but nonetheless requiring human
> intervention -- as it is slightly different from allo others? This is a
> total waste of time and energy and I personally invite all submitters NOT
> to do that unless there are really compelling legal reasons, or proof of
> widespread adoption, both totally absent here.
>
> I take the view that this license does not meet the requirements for being
> added to the list of officially approved licenses, although per se does not
> seem to violate any OSD rule, at a cursory evaluation.
>
> Cheers
>
> Carlo, in his personal capacity.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Messaggio originale -----
> > Da: "PTFS" <pfts.offical at gmail.com>
> > A: "license-review at lists.opensource.org" <
> license-review at lists.opensource.org>
> > Inviato: Sabato, 10 gennaio 2026 14:14:18
> > Oggetto: [License-review] License Review: IDCIYMI-1.0 (I Don't Care If
> You Mod It)
>
> > Dear OSI License Review Committee,
> > I am formally submitting the "I Don't Care If You Mod It" (IDCIYMI)
> license,
> > version 1.0, for official approval as an Open Source license.
>
> >     1. License Text
>
> > ========================================================
> > IDCIYMI License (I Don't Care If You Mod It)
> > Copyright (c) 2026 [Name]
> > Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
> copy
> > of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to
> deal
> > in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the
> rights
> > to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
> > copies of the Software.
> > The only condition is that the above copyright notice and this permission
> > notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the
> Software.
> > CREATOR NOTE:
> > [Add your note here. For example: "I built this for the community—please
> mod it
> > and share what you create!"]
> > 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 NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
> THE
> > AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS 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.
> > ==============================================
>
> >    1. Rationale The IDCIYMI license fills a unique social gap by
> standardizing a
> >    "Creator Note" field within a permissive legal framework. While
> legally similar
> >    to MIT, it provides a dedicated space for authors to express their
> intent and
> >    encouragement for modifications without introducing legally binding
> >    restrictions that would violate the OSD. This fosters a culture of
> remixing and
> >     open collaboration.
> >    2. Open Source Definition (OSD) Affirmation I affirmatively state
> that this
> >     license complies with the Open Source Definition. Specifically:
>
> >     *
> > OSD 3 (Derived Works): It explicitly permits modifications and
> sublicensing.
> >    * OSD 5 & 6 (No Discrimination): The license and its "Creator Note"
> are
> >     structured to ensure no groups or fields of endeavor are restricted.
> >    * OSD 9 (License Must Not Restrict Other Software): It does not
> restrict other
> >     software distributed with it.
>
> >     1.
> > Stewardship I, Bernardo Hora, am the steward of this license.
> >    2. Existing Usage Since I do not use GitHub, the license and the
> software using
> >     it can be found at the following public locations:
>
> > site : [ https://idciymi.neocities.org/ | https://idciymi.neocities.org/
> ] (the
> > site is in wip)
>
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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.
>
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> >
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>
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