[License-review] Official Submission: Modified 0BSD License (Maintenance-Required)

Tue Mar 17 15:41:51 UTC 2026

You do not appear to have answered the following questions per the 
license review guidelines:

* Submit a copy of the license as an attachment in simple text format.

     This is requested because repositories can change and we need to 
have a fixed text that all reviewers can review.

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     You have not indicated any projects that are using, or are 
proposing to use, this license.

* Provide the identity and contact details of the license steward, if 
known, and of the submitter. The OSI will try to get in touch with the 
license steward if the license submitter is not the steward.

     If you are the steward, you should identify yourself as such (since 
the license has your (C) notice on it I assume you are the steward, but 
you should state so affirmatively).

*  Provide any additional information that the submitter believes would 
be helpful for license review. For example, approval of the license by 
Debian, the FSF or the Fedora Project would be relevant to the review 
process.

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SPDX or ScanCode.

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*  Describe any legal review the license has been through, including 
whether it was drafted by a lawyer.

     You have listed a "legal analysis" but have not indicated if any 
lawyer was involved in that analysis or the drafting of the license. In 
particular, I think there needs to be some description how the 
affirmative obligation may be binding on the recipient under the terms 
of this agreement.

On 3/17/2026 8:24 AM, Vicentte Felipe wrote:
> Dear License Review Committee,
> Pursuant to the OSI License Review Process, I am providing the formal 
> responses required for the review of the Modified 0BSD License.
> 1. Support for the Open Source Definition (OSD):
> The license complies with all 10 criteria of the OSD. It allows for 
> free redistribution, includes source code, allows for derived works, 
> and does not discriminate against any persons or fields of endeavor.
> 2. Unique Benefits:
> Currently, most permissive licenses (MIT, BSD, 0BSD) include a total 
> disclaimer of warranty ("AS-IS"). This license provides a middle 
> ground for developers who wish to offer a high degree of freedom (Zero 
> Attribution) while legally committing to the quality and maintenance 
> of the code. It provides "Accountable Open Source."
> 3. Proliferation Category:
> This is a Special Purpose License. It is not intended to replace the 
> MIT or 0BSD licenses for all users, but rather to serve projects where 
> the developer wants to provide a "Maintenance Mandate" as a core 
> feature of the software's distribution.
> 4. Comparison to Similar Licenses:
> Vs. 0BSD: It is identical in its grant of rights and removal of 
> attribution, but it removes the "AS-IS" clause and replaces it with 
> the "Maintenance Obligation."
> Vs. TAPR Open Hardware License: Like some hardware licenses, it 
> focuses on the "Duty to Repair" or maintain, but adapted for software.
> 5. Legal Analysis:
> The "Maintenance Obligation" is structured as a Condition of the 
> License. If the maintainer or distributor fails to fulfill the duty to 
> repair, the license grant is technically revoked, ensuring that "dead" 
> or "unmaintained" forks cannot claim to be part of the supported 
> ecosystem.
> 6. Formal License Text:
> Modified 0BSD License (Maintenance-Required)
> Copyright (c) 2026 Vicentte Felipe
>
> Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
> purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.
>
> THE MAINTENANCE OBLIGATION:
> Unlike the standard 0BSD license, this software is NOT provided "as-is."
> The Original Author(s) and/or those who explicitly claim to provide a 
> supported version of this software accept an affirmative obligation to:
> Review and address reported technical defects.
>
> LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:
> THE AUTHOR(S) SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR
> CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF 
> USE,
> DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER
> TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
> PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. THE REMEDY IS LIMITED TO THE MAINTENANCE
> OBLIGATIONS STATED ABOVE.
>
> El mar, 17 de mar de 2026, 11:00, McCoy Smith <mccoy at lexpan.law> escribió:
>
>     Vicentte:
>
>     In order for this license to be considered for approval, you need to
>     answer all the questions set forth in the process for approval, found
>     here: https://opensource.org/licenses/review-process
>
>     If you want this license to be considered for approval, please follow
>     the process as indicated on OSI's website.
>
>     On 3/17/2026 3:56 AM, Vicentte Felipe wrote:
>     > Dear OSI License Review Committee,
>     > I am formally submitting the Modified 0BSD License for review and
>     > approval against the Open Source Definition (OSD).
>     > Following previous feedback regarding trademark concerns, I have
>     > renamed and refactored the license. It is now based on the
>     established
>     > BSD Zero Clause License (0BSD) framework, but with a specific
>     > modification to address developer accountability.
>     > Submission Details:
>     > License Name: Modified 0BSD License (Maintenance-Required)
>     > Version: 1.0
>     > Official Repository:
>     > https://github.com/Vicenttefelipe097/Modified-0BSD-License
>     > Rationale: To provide a "Zero-Attribution" permissive license that
>     > replaces the standard "AS-IS" disclaimer with a "Duty to
>     Repair." This
>     > ensures that users can rely on a commitment to maintenance while
>     > enjoying the freedom of a 0BSD-style grant.
>     > License Text:
>     > Modified 0BSD License (Maintenance-Required)
>     > Copyright (c) 2026 Vicentte Felipe
>     >
>     > Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software
>     for any
>     > purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.
>     >
>     > THE MAINTENANCE OBLIGATION (THE VICENTTE DUTY):
>     > Unlike the standard 0BSD license, this software is NOT provided
>     "as-is."
>     > The Author(s) and/or Distributor(s) accept an affirmative
>     obligation to:
>     > 1. Review and address reported technical defects and bugs.
>     > 2. Use best efforts to provide fixes for issues that impair the
>     > software’s
>     >    intended functionality.
>     >
>     > LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:
>     > THE AUTHOR(S) SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT,
>     INDIRECT, OR
>     > CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM
>     LOSS OF
>     > USE,
>     > DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR
>     OTHER
>     > TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
>     > PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. THE REMEDY IS LIMITED TO THE
>     MAINTENANCE
>     > OBLIGATIONS STATED ABOVE.
>     > I believe this modification maintains the spirit of open source
>     while
>     > providing a modern framework for professional stewardship. I look
>     > forward to the committee’s feedback.
>     > Best regards,
>     > Vicentte Felipe Software Developer & Architect
>     > https://github.com/Vicenttefelipe097
>     >
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