# GeoMANET / M.S.Y. — Contribution, Licensing & Governance Guide

> **Status**: Living document — authoritative reference for contributors, auditors, and automated agents.
>
> **Scope**: Code, documentation, governance artefacts related to GeoMANET and the M.S.Y. Charter.

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## 1. Purpose of This Document

This document defines:
- the **licensing strategy** of the GeoMANET / M.S.Y. project,
- the **rules of contribution** (technical, legal, ethical),
- the **separation of concerns** between open, sensitive, and future commercial components,
- the **process by which this document and related files evolve**, including updates generated or assisted by automated agents.

It is intended to:
- attract skilled contributors (developers, security researchers, protocol designers),
- protect the project during its stabilization phase,
- and keep future economic options open **without financial discussion at this stage**.

This is not a marketing document. It is an operational and legal reference.

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## 2. Guiding Principles

### 2.1 Non-dogmatic openness

M.S.Y. and GeoMANET are **not ideological artifacts** nor immutable standards.
They are safety frameworks designed to evolve through public deliberation and technical validation.

Openness is a means, not an end.

### 2.2 Protection against premature capture

At early stages, unrestricted commercial exploitation can:
- distort priorities,
- extract value without contribution,
- or weaponize unfinished systems.

The current licensing framework is therefore **intentionally protective**.

### 2.3 Explicit evolutivity

The licensing model is designed to **change over time**, following clearly identified phases.
Contributors are informed upfront of this trajectory.

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## 3. Licensing Strategy — Phased Model

### Phase 1 — Protective Non-Commercial (Current)

**Code**:
- Licensed under **PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0**

**Documentation & Texts**:
- Licensed under **Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0**

**Name & Identity**:
- “GeoMANET” and “M.S.Y.” are protected identifiers (no implied trademark license).

**Intent**:
- allow study, testing, contribution,
- prevent silent commercial appropriation,
- stabilize architecture, governance, and protocol semantics.

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### Phase 2 — Open Core (Planned)

Once the architecture is stabilized:

- A **CORE repository** will be published under a recognized open-source license (e.g. **AGPLv3** or **Apache 2.0 + CLA**).
- Sensitive, experimental, or high-risk components may remain under:
  - PolyForm licenses, or
  - a dual-licensing scheme.

This phase enables:
- wider adoption,
- external audits,
- serious long-term contributors.

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### Phase 3 — Dual License & Cooperative Models (Under Deliberation)

Possible future mechanisms include:
- dual licensing (open + commercial),
- contributor recognition and attribution mechanisms,
- cooperative or foundation-based governance.

**No financial terms are defined at this stage.**
This phase exists to ensure **sustainability without enclosure**.

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## 4. Repository Architecture (Target)

```
/geomanet-core/        # Protocols, primitives, reference implementations
/geomanet-dev/         # Tools, demos, test harnesses, simulators
/geomanet-sensitive/   # Restricted / delayed-release components
/docs/                 # Specifications, charters, annexes
```

Only repositories explicitly marked as open are open.

---

## 5. Contribution Rules

### 5.1 What You Can Contribute

- Code (protocols, tooling, simulations)
- Security analysis & threat models
- Documentation & formal specifications
- Tests, benchmarks, reproducible experiments

### 5.2 What You Must Accept

By contributing, you acknowledge that:
- the project may evolve its license in future phases,
- your contribution may become part of an open-core system,
- attribution will be preserved, but exclusivity is not guaranteed.

### 5.3 No Implicit Commercial Rights

Contributing does **not** grant:
- commercial exploitation rights,
- governance authority,
- or veto power over future licensing evolution.


## 7. Final Notes

M.S.Y. is **not a constitution**, **not a product**, and **not a market object**.

It is a framework designed to:
- reduce systemic abuse,
- increase accountability,
- and remain adaptable under public scrutiny.

Licensing is a tool in service of that objective — nothing more, nothing less.