[License-review] License Submission: Milenium License 1.0
Pamela Chestek
pamela at chesteklegal.com
Mon May 4 19:15:23 UTC 2026
In addition to the below comments, this license does not comply with OSD
6 "No discrimination against fields of endeavor." The license in section
4 says "NO PROPRIETARY USE. This Software is built upon the philosophy
of Free Software. It is STRICTLY PROHIBITED to utilize, distribute, or
transform this Software into closed-source or proprietary software. It
must remain open-source and free at all times."
There is a disjunctive "OR" between closed-source and proprietary and
it's the word "proprietary" that is the problem. It's meaning is
ambiguous and the word is often used as equivalent to "commercial.
<https://solutionshub.epam.com/blog/post/proprietary-software-definition-examples#:~:text=Proprietary%20or%20commercial%20software%20is%20a%20type%20of%20computer%20software>"
If that is the intended meaning, it violates OSD 6.
If you aren't trying to stop commercial use, then this section add
nothing to the copyleft provision in Section 3, so section 4 can be
omitted.
Like Carlo, I am also puzzled by Section 6. It says "Users who establish
a copyleft project using the Milenium License must include the original
credit line 'Copyright © 2026 Yiğit Hamza' and immediately below it,
state the name of their specific project followed by the word
'Project'." That would make sense if the copyright credit was for the
text of the license, but it looks like you are trying to claim copyright
in a completely independent project that has nothing to do with software
code you wrote, it is simply that the project developers just happen to
be using this license for their own code. This would violate OSD 9
(License Must Not Restrict Other Software) and is also contrary to the
approval standard for new licenses, "The license must be reusable,
meaning that it can be used by any licensor without changing the terms ...."
Also, "millennium" is not spelled correctly if your intention was to
spell it in English.
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 5/4/2026 7:32 AM, Carlo Piana via License-review wrote:
> Thank you Kevin for pointing out some of the deficiencies of this
> submission.
>
> Dear Yiğit,
>
> while I think we all appreciate your dedication to Free and Open
> Source Software, I am not much impressed by your decision to create a
> new license instead of using one of the many which have been approved
> already. In other words, what is the rationale for another license
> that among others issues includes the name of its author as the
> copyright holder of a project using the license, regardless whether
> the submitter is the copyright holder (which sort of defies the second
> requirement, see further)?
>
> The first unanswered question is therefore "what is the gap this
> license purports to fill". You put forward three requirements:
>
> - The first "strict copyleft" is covered by GNU GPL and GNU AGPL
> - The second is hardly a requirement (preserve the name? Is not the
> preservation of the copyright notice sufficient? See also Section 7
> of GNU GPL v.3, why would a fork not be allowed to change the name of
> the project?)
> - The third is commonplace for all approved licenses (you mean "the
> license *grant* is only effective [...]", I assume)
>
> The language of the license is vague and imprecise and hardly has been
> reviewed by a sufficiently accomplished FOSS licensing lawyer, or a
> lawyer at all. EG in section 1, "to any person obtaining a copy of
> this software and associated documentation files". what if the person
> only receives the software without the documentation files? Strictly,
> they would not obtain a license? Besides, does "person" include legal
> persons or only natural persons?
>
> In the same vein, what would "disclosed to the public" means, exactly?
> So if I receive the software and modify it for private purposes, must
> I make it public? Or only if I distribute it must I make it public? So
> does the "and" in section 3 mean "or"? What if the software I make is
> defective and ok for my internal use (eg., my own script to analyze
> the logs of my Apache server) but would expose a multi-billion company
> to major losses if used? Am I not at liberty to only consume it
> internally or must I expose myself to shame and potential liability?
> Please note that the disclaimer of liability might be considered null
> or inapplicable under some jurisdictions (I can name two principles
> under which it could be invalid under Italian Law).
>
> Section "termination" does not contain any termination language, but
> substantial terms. Attribution to "original owner" (who is this?) is
> mandatory, but attribution to other copyright holders is optional?
> This would discriminate some copyright holders.
>
> What does "presented" means in this context?
>
> Finally Open Source is not "open-source", please avoid such wording
> https://opensource.org/blog/is-open-source-ever-hyphenated
>
> At this stage I don't think this license makes the cut to be taken
> into consideration, I reserve any decision in the light of further
> discussion, unless this submission is withdrawn.
>
> All the best,
>
> Carlo (for the time being, in his personal capacity)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Da: *"Kevin P. Fleming via License-review"
> <license-review at lists.opensource.org>
> *A: *"license-review at lists.opensource.org"
> <license-review at lists.opensource.org>
> *Cc: *"Kevin P. Fleming" <lists.osi-license-review at kevin.km6g.us>
> *Inviato: *Lunedì, 4 maggio 2026 15:02:20
> *Oggetto: *Re: [License-review] License Submission: Milenium
> License 1.0
>
> Hello, and welcome!
>
> Please review the "How to submit a request" section of the License
> Review Process page: https://opensource.org/licenses/review-process
>
> There are a number of details which you will need to provide in
> addition to the license text itself.
>
> Quickly reading the license, I can see a number of issues.
>
> The primary one is that Sections 2 and 6 require that anyone who
> uses the license to apply a copyright statement indicating that
> you are the copyright holder, even if you were not involved in the
> creation of the project which wants to use this license. This
> requirement makes the license non-reusable: it can only be used by
> projects that you create, or derivatives of those projects.
>
> Section 5 claims to be stating the terms of use of the license
> itself (not the project using the license), but the terms and
> conditions inside the license don't apply to the license itself -
> any license grant related to the license itself would need to be
> stated separately.
>
> On Sat, May 2, 2026, at 12:53, Yiğit Hamza wrote:
>
> *Summary:*
> I am a 9-year-old self-taught software developer and the
> founder of the *Radio Tech's* team. I am submitting the
> *Milenium License 1.0* for your official review. This license
> is built upon the core philosophy of Free Software, aiming to
> ensure that software remains open, secure, and recognizable
> throughout its lifecycle.
> The key differentiators of this license from existing models are:
>
> *
> *Strict Copyleft:* It explicitly prohibits any
> transformation into proprietary or closed-source software
> under any circumstances.
> *
> *Mandatory Lineage (Clause 6):* Unlike many other
> licenses, it requires subsequent forks and derivatives to
> maintain a clear "pedigree" by preserving the original
> project's name and designation, ensuring the history of
> the software is always traceable.
> *
> *Validity:* The license is only valid as long as all its
> specific conditions, including the lineage and attribution
> rules, are strictly followed.
>
> *License Text:*
> *MILENIUM LICENSE 1.0 (FREE SOFTWARE PROJECT)*
> *Copyright © 2026 Yiğit Hamza. All rights reserved.*
> *1. GRANT OF LICENSE*
> 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, and distribute the Software, subject to the
> following conditions:
> *2. ATTRIBUTION*
> Any person who copies and/or modifies this Software must
> clearly acknowledge and credit the original creator, *Yiğit
> Hamza*, within their project's documentation and/or user
> interface.
> *3. SHARE-ALIKE & COPYLEFT*
> Any work that utilizes this Software as its foundation or
> incorporates modified versions of it must be distributed and
> made publicly available under the same *"Milenium License"*.
> The source code of any derivative work must be disclosed to
> the public.
> *4. NO PROPRIETARY USE*
> This Software is built upon the philosophy of Free Software.
> It is *STRICTLY PROHIBITED* to utilize, distribute, or
> transform this Software into closed-source or proprietary
> software. It must remain open-source and free at all times.
> *5. TERMS OF USE*
> The Milenium License is open for use by all parties, provided
> that the terms and conditions outlined in this document are
> strictly adhered to. Unauthorized use beyond these conditions
> is a violation of this license.
> *6. PROJECT TRACKING & LINEAGE*
> Users who establish a copyleft project using the Milenium
> License must include the original credit line *"Copyright ©
> 2026 Yiğit Hamza"* and immediately below it, state the name of
> their specific project followed by the word *"Project"*. All
> subsequent copies, forks, or derivatives must preserve the
> original project's name and "Project" designation in their
> respective license files to maintain clear lineage.
> *7. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY*
> THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
> KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. 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 THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
> THE SOFTWARE.
> *TERMINATION:* *THIS SOFTWARE SHALL NEVER BE USED,
> DISTRIBUTED, OR DEVELOPED AS CLOSED-SOURCE. IT MUST BE
> DISTRIBUTED, PRESENTED, AND USED EXCLUSIVELY AS OPEN-SOURCE
> FREE SOFTWARE. ATTRIBUTION TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER IS MANDATORY!*
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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 <http://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
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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-review_lists.opensource.org/attachments/20260504/7480a3ab/attachment-0001.htm>
More information about the License-review
mailing list