This document describes the social contract which defines the community around the "[SOFTWARE]" piece of open source software ("the software"). It lays out the moral and ethical rules the community agrees to in order to ensure a long, healthy, sustainable life for the software.
It is not a legal agreement, although sections of it reference legal agreements. It is a moral and ethical one - it is the foundation upon which the community is built.
By joining the community, you agree to the rules and beliefs outlined in this compact.
We believe that the right to share, study, and modify [SOFTWARE] is at the foundation of our community. This right extends to every person who interacts with [SOFTWARE] - those who write the code, those who help solve problems, those who evangelize its use, and those who use the software. It is this right that creates the basis for a functioning community, one where we all have equal opportunity to participate and evolve the software.
We also believe that, in order to have the most impact, our software and community must be economically and ethically sustainable. We have a firm commitment to building that sustainability in harmony with the rights to share, study, and modify the software.
We believe that the community encompases every person and organization who has a relationship with the software, regardless of the nature of that relationship. We make no distinction between those who write the software, who ship the software, who build businesses on the software, or who participate in the many activities required to sustain the community. We are a single, holistic community bound together by the common desire to see the software grow and improve.
We believe that the software we produce has value, and as that value is used to create wealth, a portion of that wealth should be used to foster and sustain the community. To that end, the original authors, [AUTHORS], have created a business ([BUSINESS]), which will sell goods and services related to the software. In return for this privilege, [BUSINESS] commits that all software it creates will be made available to the community under an open source license.
Should [BUSINESS] cease to be an acceptable member of the community, we believe that the community has the right to take the software, form a new community, and create a new sustainability model. They can do so safe in the knowledge that it is not seen as an act of hostility - instead, it is the ultimate expression of our belief that everyone has the right to share, study, and modify the software.
This community follows the [CODE OF CONDUCT LINK]. Violations should be reported to [COC EMAIL ADDRESS].
The software covered by this Community Compact is licensed under the [OSI APPROVED LICENSE].
Each contributor to the software retains ownership over their contribution, but licenses it under the same terms as the original authors. This creates an environment where all contributors share ownership, and ensures that no single entity can unilaterally change the licensing terms.
This is a foundational moral and ethical right of the community - we have all voluntarily joined together in the creation of [SOFTWARE], and therefore no single entity can own the [SOFTWARE].
This software was originally created by [AUTHORS]. It was their original intent to create a vibrant, sustainable, diverse open source community. To that end, they intend to have a business, [BUSINESS], which sells goods and services related to the software, in order to further sustain and grow the community and the software.
[BUSINESS] will sell a distribution of [SOFTWARE] with commercial terms, enforced by its trademark on [SOFTWARE]. It will also, at its option, provide a Network Service (SaaS) and/or provide Consulting and Support. Competitive Network Services or Consulting offerings require a special license from the [BUSINESS].
In return for the right to monetize the [SOFTWARE] on behalf of the community, [BUSINESS] commits that all the software it publishes will be published under the terms outlined in this compact.
[BUSINESS] retains the rights to the [SOFTWARE] trademark, and has the full ability to decide how that trademark may be applied. The [LINK TO THE TRADEMARK POLICY] can always be found here.
As a policy, [BUSINESS] does not license the Trademark for use by any other organization for any commercial purposes, except through specific license agreements with [BUSINESS].
Any Patents that pertain to [SOFTWARE] exist to be used defensively, to protect the [SOFTWARE] and the [COMMUNITY] in the event of patent litigation.
[BUSINESS] will create and maintain the community's official distributions of the [SOFTWARE]. As part of the creation of a business to sustain the community, [BUSINESS] will have separate licensing terms for use of this distribution of the [SOFTWARE].
This is to ensure [BUSINESS] has a viable option for monetization of the [SOFTWARE]. Combined with [BUSINESS] control of the [SOFTWARE] trademark, it ensures that [BUSINESS] remains in control of how the Community's official build of the software is distributed.
[BUSINESS] may create network services around or in support of the software, subject to various Terms of Service. [BUSINESS] may use these Terms of Service to further monetize the [SOFTWARE].
If other parties wish to run network services around the [SOFTWARE], we ask that they contribute to the community through the purchase of a network services subscription from [BUSINESS], in order to use the communities trademark and official builds.
As the community grows, the desire for consulting businesses may also grow. The community's desire is that, if you intend to make money on the [SOFTWARE] through consulting and support, you contribute to the community through purchasing a consulting license subscription from [BUSINESS], certifying that you are an organization who supports the community. This enables you to use the communities trademarks and official builds.
We ask that all members of the community utilizing consulting businesses do so from only those organizations committed to the community's growth and health.
The community accepts contributions according to the [MAINTENANCE POLICY]. A list of named Maintainers will be kept with the source code. Maintainers may be called upon to vote from time to time, according to the [VOTING POLICY].
The [SOFTWARE] belongs to the community, and as such, the Maintainers have the final say on the source code.
Contributors to the software or community may request a reduced price ($1 USD, or equivalent) Network Services Subscription or Consulting License from the Maintainers. It will be granted by the [BUSINESS] on a 3/4 vote by the Maintainers.
At any time, any member of the community is allowed to exercise their right to take the [SOFTWARE] and create a new community, subject to the software license, copyright license, and trademark policy of this community.
If [BUSINESS] decides to restrict the use of [SOFTWARE] in a way that members of the community disagree with, they have the right to exercise their freedoms under the software license, and create a new distribution of the software without any mention of [SOFTWARE] trademark or branding. This is not a hostile act - it is this communities desire that such new communities form, if an agreement cannot be reached. Such communities require a new name, and a new, independent support model.
[BUSINESS] will provide a mechanism whereby a build of the [SOFTWARE] can be created with a user-supplied name in place of the [SOFTWARE]'s trademarks. These builds will only have the terms of the Software License applied to them. This ensures that the barriers to forking are not artifically high - it is a mechanism available to every member of the community, and a foundational right of the community upheld by the [BUSINESS].