Open Source Synthesised Licence (OSSL)

Welcome to the Open Source Synthesised Licence (OSSL) project.

This repository contains the OSSL itself, accompanying documentation, and guidance on its use, rationale, and citation.

---

Purpose

This project was created with the following aims:

• To aggregate the most relevant principles and lessons of free and open source licences into a coherent whole.
• To segment the licence into clearly defined components, making it easy for both novice and experienced readers to understand.
• To allow creators and businesses to transparently choose how much or how little “copyleft” they wish to impose.
• To modernise the language and structure of licences, moving away from unnecessarily verbose, imperatively written legalese.
• To promote a declarative, modular framework that preserves intent and clarity while avoiding needless complexity.

---

Philosophy

Much like declarative programming, OSSL expresses what is permitted, required, or restricted in an explicit, readable way, rather than burying rules in exhaustive, imperative clauses.
It enables licensors to specify the intent and scope of their licence without listing every possible scenario down to the “fine grains of sand”.

The licence is divided into parts:

1. Summary and Index — outlining the structure and intent.
2. Readme — describing the philosophy and context behind OSSL.
3. Foundation — the core terms and conditions.
4. Options — clearly itemised modules that modify or extend the Foundation.
5. Examples — to demonstrate how to cite and apply OSSL.
6. Rationale — explaining the reasons behind design choices.

---

Using this Repository

This repository contains the following key files:

• LICENSE.md — The full licence text.
• OPTIONS.md — A detailed explanation of available Options and their codes.
• EXAMPLES.md — Examples of how to cite and apply the licence.
• RATIONALE.md — The underlying philosophy and reasoning for OSSL.
• README.md — This file.

If you wish to licence your own work under OSSL:

1. Read through the LICENSE.md and OPTIONS.md to understand the defaults and available Options.
2. Choose any Option Codes that reflect your preferences.
3. Cite the licence in your work using the examples in EXAMPLES.md.

---

Citation Example

For defaults only:

Licensed under the Open Source Synthesised Licence (OSSL) v1.0

With Options:

Licensed under the Open Source Synthesised Licence (OSSL) v1.0 with options: CU2-R2-E2

More compact:

OSSL-v1.0-CU2-R2-E2

---

Contributing

Contributions, suggestions, and improvements to the language, structure, or examples are welcome. Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

---

Disclaimer

This project is not legal advice. While every effort has been made to draft the licence in clear and enforceable terms, you should consult a legal professional if you have specific concerns about its application to your work or jurisdiction.

---

Acknowledgements

This licence draws inspiration from decades of open source and free software licensing efforts, and from the contributions of countless developers, lawyers, and community members who have championed user freedom, clarity, and fairness.

---