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This license is designed to foster innovation and collaboration while ensuring fair attribution. It provides permissions similar to permissive open source licenses, with additional flexibility for substantially transformed works. For further information, including accompanying explainer materials, FAQs, and compatibility charts, please visit https://invl.org/.
Copyright (c) [YEAR] [COPYRIGHT HOLDER NAME]
All rights reserved. This software and associated documentation files (the "Software") are the intellectual property of the above copyright holder and are licensed under the following terms:
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, merge, publish, distribute, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The right to sublicense the Software is expressly limited to sublicensing under this same IOSL license, except as provided in Section 4 (Rights for Qualified Derivative Works).
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
When you convey, distribute, or publish the Software, whether modified or unmodified, you must license the work under this IOSL license. You may not impose any additional terms or apply any technical measures that restrict the exercise of the rights granted under this license.
A "Qualified Derivative Work" is defined as a modified version of the Software that satisfies ANY TWO of the following four criteria:
Criterion A: Quantitative Transformation
The Derivative Work contains at least 60% new Source Lines of Code (SLOC), excluding comments and blank lines, relative to the original Software, as measured by standard code analysis tools.
Criterion B: Independent Development
The new code constitutes substantial, independent development effort, evidenced by meaningful technical innovation, significant engineering investment, and development spanning a reasonable timeframe.
Criterion C: Substantial Functional Transformation
The Derivative Work serves a primary purpose substantially different from the original Software, as demonstrated by different core functionality, target user base, or problem domain.
Criterion D: Market Differentiation
A reasonable user would not consider the Derivative Work a direct market substitute for the original Software.
For Qualified Derivative Works meeting these criteria, the right to sublicense includes the right to sublicense under this same IOSL license with changed authorship attribution.
The extraction and use of extracts from the Software is deemed insubstantial and is not subject to the terms of this license, provided that such portion, in its original, unmodified form as provided by the creator, meets one of the following criteria:
(i) It comprises fewer than two hundred (200) source lines of code as measured by any commonly used code-analysis tool, and excluding comments, blank lines, and non-functional formatting;
(ii) It comprises five (5) or fewer discrete and independent functions.
In cases of ambiguity, such as with minified or compressed code, the function count pursuant to (ii) shall be the determinative measure. Licensees may not manipulate the code's presentation to evade the thresholds set forth herein.
If the Software is expressly designated by the Copyright Holder as a "Foundational Library", "Foundational Package" or "Reference Source Code" (via a notice in the source code or documentation), the following exception applies:
(i) Integration Permission: You may integrate, link, or combine the Software with a separate work ("Host Program") that is licensed under proprietary terms or different open-source terms. Such integration does not, by itself, require the Host Program to be licensed under the IOSL or its source code to be disclosed.
(ii) Conditions for Exception: This exception is valid only if:
- The original copyright notice and a copy of this IOSL license are included in the source code of the Host Program or in its accompanying documentation; and
- The author(s) and the use of the IOSL license are prominently mentioned in the "About" or "Legal" section of the Host Program's user interface (if one exists).
(iii) Preservation of Derivative Works Clause: This exception applies strictly to the integration of the Software. Any modifications, enhancements, or direct derivatives of the Software itself remain subject to the terms of Section 3 (Propagation of License Terms) and Section 4 (Rights for Qualified Derivative Works). The Host Program is not considered a "Qualified Derivative Work" solely by virtue of containing the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. 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 OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
The burden of proving qualification as a Qualified Derivative Work rests with the creator of the derivative work. In case of disputes regarding qualification, parties agree to seek mediation before pursuing litigation.
This license represents the complete agreement between parties regarding the Software. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder shall remain in full effect.
IOSL is a permissive open-source license that lets people use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell the software freely. It aims to bridge the gap between permissive open source (like MIT/BSD) and a "responsible innovation" model that protects creators from shallow cloning or exploitative forking, but it requires the work (and its derivatives) to remain under the same IOSL license with the original copyrights and notices to stay attached.
It also gives extra flexibility for substantially transformed derivative works: if you change the project a lot so that it meets at least two of four defined tests, you get a little more freedom about sublicensing and credits. Oh, and small copied bits (tiny helpers or extracts) are okay without these rules. Please note that this license is not yet OSI-approved, however, we will soon pursue and request possible license review from the OSI foundation.
The IOSL license is special in that it has a set of unique terms that offers additional flexibility for new and innovative projects, encouraging creative divergence rather than parasitic reuse. It also has special terms for substantially transformed works, tiny code snippets use, as well as permission to sell compiled binaries without requiring source disclosure.
A derivative work is "Qualified" if it meets any two of these four tests:
If two of those apply, the derivative's author has the extra sublicensing/attribution flexibility as described above.
Small extracts are allowed without triggering IOSL license if they are used unmodified and meet either of the following requirements:
Keep the IOSL + copyright, don't add restrictions, and if you claim "big change", be ready to show it. That's it! You're now ready to go out there and do big things!
The Innovilage Open Source License (IOSL) is designed for creators who value open collaboration, fairness, and originality. It bridges permissive licenses like MIT and copyleft models like GPL, offering a balanced framework that protects genuine innovation while encouraging creative freedom. IOSL allows anyone to freely use, modify, and share software, while recognising meaningfully transformed works and granting innovators greater flexibility and credit.
Small code snippets can be reused without restriction, while larger or derivative works remain open and transparent under the same license. Ideal for startups, independent developers, researchers, and creative-technical communities, IOSL supports open growth and fair recognition in today's remix-driven, AI-enhanced, and fast-evolving development world - where innovation and integrity coexist. Now let's talk about who this license is for:
As we enter the next era of innovation-driven economy, we need a different type of license which adapts to this new environment and acts as social contract for open source. We need to balance freedom with fairness and provide an ethical framework as well as playing ground for the community to thrive on.
| License Type | Commercial use | Share source | Keep same license | Attribution | Patent safety | Derivative works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOSL v1.0Permissive + Transform-centric Copyleft | (unless distributed) | (if counts as "Qualified") | ||||
| MITPermissive | (no limits) | |||||
| GPL v3Strong Copyleft | (must be open) | |||||
| LGPL v3Weak Copyleft | (if modified) | (for libs) | (limited) | |||
| Apache 2.0Permissive + Patent | (no limits) | |||||
| MPL 2.0File-level Copyleft | (modified files) | (for files) | (file-scoped) | |||
| CC-BY-SA 4.0Share-Alike (creative) | (if adapted) | - | (same license) |
We understand the world of technology is always evolving and so should the open source licenses. We are innovating in this space to help protect innovators, startup ecosystems, R&D labs, as well as the greater academic society.
Freedom to build, fairness for creators. It is a different type of open source philosophy that offers a balanced approach to code sharing, licensing, distribution and ethical forking - making the community healthier and more productive.