[License-review] : [License] Linkumori Free License, Version 1.0 – Submission for OSI Review
subham mahesh
indsubham6 at gmail.com
Wed Jun 17 18:51:45 UTC 2026
Dear Carlo,
Answering both questions directly:
1. Linkumori is a pseudonym of mine. I'm an individual author and steward
publishing under that name, not a registered organization. No separate
legal entity exists behind it.
2. This is not theoretical. I wrote it to govern my own work and intend to
use it. More importantly, the problem it solves is real and current: none
of the major permissive licenses give a clear, enforceable answer for
attribution when code is minified, bundled, or served via CDN, and that's a
gap practitioners keep running into.
I'm happy for Matija to weigh in on this thread if he'd like, he's welcome
to respond with whatever he's found on this problem. If he doesn't, I'll
proceed with the review process here regardless.
What I'm asking from this list is a substantive review of Section 4 on its
merits: whether the mechanism works, whether the registered-domain standard
holds up, where the edge cases are. If the consensus after that review is
that this is better solved as a collaborative effort or folded into
existing work, I'm open to that conversation. I'm not, however, looking to
have the submission deprioritized purely on the basis that I'm an
individual rather than an organization, or that the license doesn't yet
have large-scale adoption. Plenty of OSI-approved licenses started exactly
there.
Happy to go section by section if useful.
Best,
Subham mahesh
On Wed, 17 Jun, 2026, 7:15 pm Carlo Piana via License-review, <
license-review at lists.opensource.org> wrote:
> Dear Subham Mahesh,
>
> Thank you for submitting.
>
> For starter, some information would be useful:
>
> 1. Who/What is "Linkumori"?
> 2. Is this a theoretical exercise or is it a project aimed at being used
> by a precise project or is it currently used?
>
> The gap your license is trying to address is indeed an issue with some
> sort of distribution, mainly with minified javascript, many have pointed
> out. I think my good friend Matija (AKA "Hook" see at https://matija.
> suklje.name) has spent a great deal of time trying to unravel the issue.
> Maybe you two can talk.
>
> Thank you so much for the earlier clarification. I have not perused the
> license too, so I reserve commenting in the light of the answers, if any.
>
> All the best,
>
> Carlo, in his personal capacity.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *Da: *"subham mahesh" <indsubham6 at gmail.com>
> *A: *"license-review at lists.opensource.org" <
> license-review at lists.opensource.org>
> *Inviato: *Mercoledì, 17 giugno 2026 9:20:34
> *Oggetto: *Re: [License-review] : [License] Linkumori Free License,
> Version 1.0 – Submission for OSI Review
>
> 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
>
>
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> (50%) or more of the outstanding shares, or (iii) beneficial ownership of
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> Binary Form used for any purpose other than a Publicly Displayed or
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> this list of conditions, and the following disclaimer in the
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> 7. TRADEMARKS. This License does not grant permission to use the trade
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> ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
>
> 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.
>>
>
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