Licensing
Public access, reuse, and canonical integrity
The LSN Foundation supports the public distribution of canonical documents, publications, articles, educational material, and other public resources. Individual works may be released under Creative Commons or other licences that permit specified forms of copying, sharing, adaptation, or reuse.
Licensing governs permitted use of material. It does not transfer canonical authority, alter documentary status, or modify the governance framework through which the Lattice Core corpus is maintained.
Licensing Approach
A canonical document, Foundation publication, article, or other public work may identify a Creative Commons licence or another licence applicable to that particular work. The licence stated on or with the relevant material governs the permissions granted for that material.
Different categories of material may carry different licensing conditions. Public availability should therefore not be interpreted as meaning that every item available through the Foundation website is subject to identical terms.
Check the Work
Where a document or other work identifies a specific licence, that licence should be consulted directly before copying, redistributing, adapting, or otherwise reusing the material.
Creative Commons
Public Distribution
Creative Commons licensing provides a standard mechanism through which material can be made publicly available while clearly identifying the permissions and conditions attached to its reuse.
The permissions available depend on the specific Creative Commons licence applied to the work.
Licence-Specific Conditions
Creative Commons licences can differ in whether they permit adaptation, commercial reuse, or redistribution of modified material.
Users should therefore rely on the exact licence identified with the work rather than assuming that the same permissions apply to every Creative Commons licensed item.
Licence Does Not Confer Canonical Authority
A licence grants permissions concerning use of a work. It does not determine Lattice Core governance, architecture, standards, conformance requirements, detailed specification, canonical explanation, or corpus mapping.
Permission to copy is not authority to define. Redistribution of a canonical document does not make the distributor an authority over the subject matter controlled by that document.
Permission to adapt is not authority to revise. Where a licence permits adaptation, a modified work does not become a revised canonical document merely because it was derived from one.
Public availability is not Foundation endorsement. Reuse of material does not imply sponsorship, certification, approval, or institutional affiliation.
Canonical status is maintained separately. The Foundation's documentation framework identifies the canonical documents and their respective roles within the Lattice Core corpus.
Canonical Documents
Document Licensing
A canonical document may be publicly distributed under a licence that permits specified forms of reuse. Those permissions concern use of the published expression of the document.
The applicable licence should be identified by the document itself or by the Foundation record accompanying its publication.
Canonical Status
Canonical status is distinct from copyright licensing. A copy, mirror, quotation, translation, adaptation, or derivative of a canonical document does not itself become canonical merely because its creation or distribution is permitted by the applicable licence.
Readers seeking the Foundation's public record of the canonical corpus should refer to the Documentation Framework.
Document Authority Remains Unchanged
Licensing does not alter the defined role, responsibility, or authority of a canonical document within the Lattice Core documentation framework.
LCGD
Governance.
Governs the governance framework, authority, change conditions, stewardship, lifecycle, and governance constraints.
LCAD
Architecture.
Establishes Lattice Core architecture and controls architecture-level questions.
LCStD
Standards & Conformance.
Formalises normative standards and conformance requirements derived from LCAD.
LCSpD
Detailed Specification.
Provides detailed technical and functional specification derived from LCAD and LCStD.
LCED
Explanation.
Explains and contextualises canonical material without controlling governance, architecture, standards, or specification.
LCAAD
Architecture Atlas & Corpus Map.
Maps locations, relationships, navigation, and traceability without substantive authority over the material mapped.
Attribution
Where the applicable licence requires attribution, users should provide attribution in accordance with the terms of that licence and any attribution information supplied with the work.
Attribution should preserve the identity of the work and should not create the impression that the Foundation endorses the person, organisation, product, service, or derivative work in which the material appears.
Where practical, references to canonical documents should identify the document, applicable version or edition where one has been formally published, and the LSN Foundation as the organisation responsible for stewardship of the canonical corpus.
Modified & Derived Material
Where Adaptation Is Permitted
If the applicable licence permits modification or adaptation, any modified material should be clearly distinguished from the original work.
Changes should not be presented as though they were made, approved, adopted, or published by the LSN Foundation unless that is actually the case.
Canonical Integrity
A derivative work is not a new canonical version or edition of Lattice Core documentation.
Changes to the canonical corpus occur through the governance framework applicable to that corpus and through the canonical source responsible for the subject matter being changed. Copyright permission to adapt material does not alter that process.
Quotation & Reference
Public material may be quoted, cited, or referenced subject to the applicable licence and any rights or exceptions available under applicable law.
When quoting canonical material, identifying the document and the applicable version or edition where one has been formally published helps preserve the context of the reference and distinguish it from other editions.
Quotation should not be presented in a manner that materially misrepresents the source or falsely attributes a position, endorsement, or statement to the Foundation.
Website Content
A Creative Commons or other licence attached to a particular document, publication, article, or other work should not automatically be assumed to apply to the entire lsn.foundation website.
Website text, visual assets, logos, icons, branding, software, stylesheets, and other materials may be subject to different rights or licensing conditions unless expressly identified otherwise.
Where no specific licence is identified for an item, users should not assume that permissions attached to another work extend to that item.
Software, Specifications & Implementations
Licensing of documentary, explanatory, or other written material does not automatically establish the licence applicable to software, reference implementations, development tools, schemas, technical assets, or other implementation materials.
Where such materials are published, the licence accompanying the relevant repository, package, distribution, or technical resource should be consulted separately.
The licence governing an implementation also does not determine whether that implementation conforms to Lattice Core standards or specifications, or whether it has any official Foundation status.
Names, Logos & Branding
Creative Commons licences concern copyright permissions in the licensed work. They should not be interpreted as automatically granting rights to use Foundation names, logos, marks, branding, or other identifiers in a way that suggests official status, sponsorship, certification, endorsement, or affiliation.
Reuse of material must not falsely represent a third party, modified document, implementation, service, article, or other work as an official product, canonical document, or publication of the LSN Foundation.
Third-Party Material
Documents, publications, articles, or website pages may refer to or contain material originating from third parties. A licence applied by the Foundation does not necessarily apply to third-party material where the Foundation does not hold the rights required to license that material.
Where third-party material carries separate attribution, copyright, or licensing information, those conditions should be observed independently.
Licensing Principles
Public licensing should be explicit. A work should identify the licence governing its reuse where a public licence is granted.
Licence terms should be followed. Permissions and conditions depend on the specific licence attached to the work.
Attribution should preserve provenance. Reuse should maintain appropriate identification of the original work and its source where required.
Derivatives should identify themselves. Modified material should not be confused with an official Foundation work or canonical document.
Licensing does not determine canonical authority. Copyright permissions and canonical subject-matter authority are separate questions.
Licensing Enquiries
Contact the Foundation
Questions concerning licensing or reuse of material controlled or distributed by the Foundation can be directed through the Foundation's legal contact channel.
Check the Work First
Before requesting permission, check whether the relevant document, publication, article, repository, or other work already identifies a Creative Commons or other licence that grants the intended use.
Legal Directory
Privacy
Privacy information relating to the Foundation website and applicable public services.
Security Disclosure
Responsible disclosure information for security vulnerabilities affecting Foundation-controlled systems.