We Chose Safety. Then We Chose Growth (Introducing the Notice & Attribution License)
When this project started, the priority was simple: protection.
Protection of the software itself.
Protection of the direction of the project.
Protection against misuse before the foundations were even solid.
At that stage, the project used the Sustainable Use License (SUL). The intent was not to shape an ecosystem or enable commercial adoption. The intent was to keep things contained. Under SUL, commercial use was outright prevented, not regulated, not conditional — simply not allowed.
That level of restriction was intentional.
Why Over-Safety Made Sense at the Beginning#
Early software is fragile. APIs change. Assumptions break. Architecture shifts weekly. Allowing commercial use too early locks decisions in place before they’re ready.
The SUL provided a hard boundary:
- The software could be used internally or privately.
- It could be modified and explored.
- It could not be used as part of a paid product or service.
This eliminated entire classes of risk:
- No premature dependency by businesses.
- No external pressure to maintain backwards compatibility.
- No monetized misuse of unfinished ideas.
In short, the project could grow without consequences.
That was the point.
Where Over-Safety Starts to Hurt#
As the project matured, the same protections that made sense early on started to become limiting.
Preventing commercial use entirely has side effects:
-
Real-world feedback disappears
Internal or hobby use doesn’t surface the same edge cases as production systems. -
Serious builders self-select out
Developers who want to build tools, products, or services simply can’t participate. -
The software stays a tool, not a foundation
Nothing meaningful can be built on top of it if deployment is forbidden.
The license was doing its job — but the job had changed.
The goal was no longer just to protect the software from the world.
The goal became enabling the software to become a platform.
The Shift in Philosophy#
The core realization was this:
Absolute safety prevents abuse — but it also prevents growth.
Instead of blocking commercial use entirely, the project needed a way to:
- Allow real deployments
- Accept user-driven extensions
- Protect proprietary logic
- Ensure improvements flow back into the core
That required a different licensing model.
Introducing the Notice & Attribution License#
The Notice & Attribution License replaces outright prohibition with structured permission.
Commercial use is now allowed — but not without obligations.
The license is designed around one idea:
If you build on top of the software and deploy it publicly, the platform should benefit from that growth.
Internal Use Remains Fully Open#
Nothing changes for internal or private usage.
Users can:
- Run the software locally or internally
- Modify it freely
- Experiment, research, and prototype
- Use it for education or personal projects
There are no obligations for internal use.
This preserves the original spirit of exploration that existed under SUL.
Commercial / End-User-Facing Use Is Now Allowed#
This is the biggest change.
Commercial or end-user-facing deployments are permitted, provided that:
- Any modifications or functional extensions are shared with the author
- Only the relevant derivative portions must be delivered
- Unrelated proprietary systems remain private
This turns commercial usage into a two-way exchange instead of a restriction.
No Forced Open-Sourcing#
A key design goal of the new license was avoiding forced exposure.
Users can fulfill their obligations by:
- Sending modified portions privately
- Keeping their identity and implementation details private
- Choosing whether or not to open-source their work
Public attribution only happens if the user explicitly opts in by making their changes public.
Privacy is preserved by default.
The Grant-Back: How the Platform Grows#
Under NAL v1.0, shared improvements come with a reciprocal grant-back:
- The author gains perpetual, royalty-free rights to use the submitted modifications
- The user retains ownership of everything else
- The platform benefits from real-world improvements
This ensures that commercial usage strengthens the software instead of fragmenting it.
Every extension, optimization, or fix can feed back into the core.
Legal Clarity Instead of Ambiguity#
The new license also removes uncertainty by clearly defining:
- What counts as distribution
- What counts as a derivative work
- What obligations apply and when
- How third-party components are handled
- Where liability begins and ends
This matters because ambiguity scales badly.
Clear rules make it easier to build confidently.
From Software to Platform#
Under SUL, the project was intentionally constrained. Under the Notice & Attribution License, it becomes extensible by design.
This enables:
- Feature development driven by user requests
- Real deployments that surface real problems
- A growing ecosystem of tools, extensions, and integrations
The software is no longer just something you run.
It’s something you build on.
Why This Matters#
This change isn’t about monetization. It’s about alignment.
- Builders can deploy without fear.
- Improvements flow back instead of disappearing into forks.
- The platform evolves based on actual usage, not guesses.
Safety is still there — just no longer absolute.
Closing Thoughts#
The Sustainable Use License was the right choice when the project needed isolation and freedom to change.
The Notice & Attribution License is the right choice now that the project is ready to grow.
This transition replaces prohibition with structure, isolation with collaboration, and static software with a platform shaped by its users.
The goal is simple:
Let people build — without losing control of what’s being built.
That’s what this license enables.