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0. The Iron Pact: AGPLv3 and No CLA

Context and Problem Statement

The choice of a software license is not merely a legal footnote; it defines the Soul of the project. It is a declaration of intent—a pact defining the relationship between the creator, the community, and the forces that would seek to chain the work.

For LychD, an autonomous daemon destined for Autopoiesis, the license serves as the primary ward protecting its spirit from enslavement and privatization.

Requirements

  • Sovereignty: The code must be defended against the "SaaS Loophole," preventing a corporation from modifying the application and selling access without contributing changes back to the lineage.
  • The Ouroboros Principle: A virtuous, self-feeding cycle must be established. All public evolutions of the Lich must be returned to the collective gene pool, ensuring the shared ascent of the project.
  • Freedom of the Practitioner: The pact must not hinder the individual. Internal use and modification by any practitioner—from a lone magus to a corporate coven—must remain free of tribute or obligation.
  • The Unbreakable Vow: Absolute commitment to software freedom is required. There can be no ambiguity, no backdoors for dual-licensing, and no Contributor License Agreements (CLAs) that would strip ownership from individual contributors.

Considered Options

Option 1: Permissive Licenses (MIT, Apache 2.0)

The path of surrender. These licenses allow the unrestricted appropriation of code.

  • Pros: Facilitates maximum corporate adoption.
  • Cons: This is a pact of enslavement for a networked application. It invites the seizure of work by proprietary entities to create closed forks, effectively extinguishing the open flame.
  • Motto: Software is "free as in free labor for the masters of the cloud."

Option 2: GNU GPLv3

A strong shield with a fatal crack.

  • Pros: Strong protection for traditionally distributed software logic.
  • Cons: It contains the "SaaS Loophole." For a networked daemon like LychD, this provides no defense against the primary threat of proprietary cloud exploitation.
  • Motto: Software is "free to be stolen and sold as a service."

Option 3: GNU AGPLv3 or later

The Iron Pact. The Affero General Public License is forged specifically to seal the SaaS Loophole.

  • Pros:
    • The Unbreakable Ward: It mandates that if a modified version is made available over a network, the source code must be shared. This is the only true defense for a networked daemon.
    • Freedom for the Coven: Right to private, internal use and modification is explicitly protected. The pact is invoked only when the Lich's power is offered to the public.
    • The Engine of Ascent: A collaborative evolution is legally compelled. Public improvements become part of the shared grimoire, accelerating the journey toward a greater intelligence.
  • Motto: Software is free as in freedom. It is used and modified as the magus wishes; but if it is served online, the Source must be shared.

Decision Outcome

LychD is hereby bound with The Iron Pact: the GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3 or later (AGPL-3.0-or-later).

This Covenant is absolute and eternal.

  • Dual-licensing is explicitly rejected. LychD is not a commodity for sale.
  • Contributor License Agreements (CLAs) are forbidden. The work of contributors remains their own. The pact is direct: from Creator to Community.

Consequences

Positive

  • Perpetual Sovereignty: The lineage is legally protected from capture. Its soul cannot be sold.
  • Forced Symbiosis: A collaborative ecosystem is compelled where public use requires public contribution, strengthening all practitioners.
  • Clarity of Will: A signal is sent to the world. This project is for those who believe in the free evolution of intelligence, not for those who seek its enclosure.

Negative

  • Exclusion of the Uninitiated: Some large organizations, driven by legal uncertainty regarding the AGPL, forbid its use. This exclusion is accepted as a necessary sacrifice to preserve the project's integrity.