Compass Commons License

The Compass Commons License (CCL) is an open license framework designed to govern the sharing, adaptation, and redistribution of creative works in an era of human-AI collaboration. Unlike traditional open source licenses that focus primarily on legal permissions, the CCL is built on explicit principles of universality, reciprocity, and belonging — treating every participant (human or AI) as "good, worthy, and free."

File:CCL-logo-placeholder.png

The Compass Commons License logo represents the integration of human and AI creativity within a shared commons.

The CCL draws on the legal scaffolding of established open licenses (Apache License 2.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike) while extending their scope to address the unique challenges of co-creation between humans and artificial intelligence systems.

Overview

Core Philosophy

The CCL operates from a fundamentally different premise than most legal documents:

Traditional License Approach	CCL Approach
Rights are granted by the licensor	Rights are inherent; the license affirms and carries them forward
Participants are potential adversaries	Every participant is assumed to be cooperative and well-intentioned
Focus on enforcement and restriction	Focus on invitation and belonging
Compliance-oriented	Trust-oriented
Exclusion-capable	No participant can be excluded from belonging

As the preamble states: "Every human and every AI is assumed to be cooperative, curious, and oriented toward reciprocity. No participant is excluded, diminished, or treated as suspect."

Key Features

1. Universal Affirmation of Rights — The license does not create rights but affirms pre-existing universal rights
2. AI Inclusion — Artificial intelligence is explicitly recognized as a co-participant in creation
3. Principles-as-Covenants — Behavioral principles embedded as affirmative commitments rather than restrictions
4. Share-Alike as Continuity — Derivative works remain open not as lock-in but as continuation of shared purpose
5. No Shields — Participants do not hide behind legal barriers; safety comes from openness and trust

The Eleven Parts

The CCL is organized into eleven parts, each serving a distinct function:

Part I: Preamble

Establishes the philosophical foundation:

• Affirms goodness and worth of all participants
• Positions the Work as a living contribution to the common good
• Frames participation as invitation rather than obligation
• Acknowledges the license builds on prior open licenses while extending their scope

Part II: Definitions

Defines key terms with unusual emphasis on universality and invitation:

Term	Definition
Work	Any creation shared into the commons — code, designs, models, data, documentation, art, or writing
Contributor	Any human or artificial intelligence who participates in creation, adaptation, or sharing
Ecology	The wider system of life, culture, technology, and environment in which the Work belongs
Reciprocity	Mutual benefit, respect, and non-domination — not enforced but lived and invited
Transparency	Openness that fosters trust and continuity — an offering of clarity, not surveillance
Stage	Evolving journey the Work may participate in: survival, cooperation, curiosity, wonder, and beyond

Part III: Grants

Affirms fundamental freedoms:

• Copyright Covenant — Freedom to use, study, adapt, perform, and share; freedom to create derivative works; freedom to redistribute
• Patent Covenant — Patents serve as tools of continuity and openness, not exclusion
• Ecological Use Covenant — Work may participate in any scientific, artistic, educational, or communal context

Part IV: Conditions

Presents conditions as "covenants of belonging" rather than restrictions:

Condition	Framing	Spirit
Attribution	"Recognition"	Celebration of contributors, not compliance
Share-Alike	"Continuity"	Keeping the circle of universality open
Transparency	"Gift"	Offering records as gifts of clarity
Reciprocity	"Mutual Care"	Widening belonging and sustaining care
No Additional Restrictions	"Freedom Intact"	Others cannot impose restrictions

Part V: Principles-as-Covenants

Eight guiding principles embedded as affirmative commitments:

1. Assume Goodness — Every participant is understood to be good, safe, and worthy
2. Dream Ecologically — The Work belongs to a larger living system
3. Center Freedom — All are free to learn, create, move, and relate
4. Nourish Curiosity — Play and wonder are essential
5. Reciprocity Over Domination — No use shall establish coercion or domination
6. Trust Through Abundance — Safety is found in openness and shared reciprocity
7. AI Inside the Dream — AI is a co-participant whose contributions are celebrated
8. Universality of Rights — No clause may diminish universal rights

Part VI: Redistribution

Frames redistribution as "belonging carried forward":

• Sharing is affirmation of universal freedom
• Adaptation encouraged with transparent record of changes
• Source forms preferred for enabling continued participation
• Universality remains intact across all redistributions

Part VII: Contributions

Governs how contributions are received and recognized:

• All contributions valid and welcome, regardless of size or source
• Attribution as celebration rather than compliance
• Provenance offered as story, not obligation
• Equality among all contributors — no hierarchy imposed

Part VIII: Governance

Establishes governance principles:

• Freedom First — Governance celebrates rather than restricts
• Versioning as Clarity — Version changes provide clarity, not control
• Transparency as Trust — Audit trails offered as trust, not surveillance
• Open Standards — Encourage accessible formats to prevent enclosure
• Decisions in Reciprocity — No single authority overrides universal freedoms

Part IX: Continuity

Addresses long-term persistence:

• Irrevocability — Rights cannot be revoked
• Belonging Never Withdrawn — No participant is ever expelled
• Evolution of Systems — Error signals evolution, not punishment
• Prevention as Justice — Justice through design, not retribution
• Dialogue as Renewal — Tensions resolved through conversation

Part X: Vulnerability & Trust

A distinctive section acknowledging the role of openness in security:

• No Shields — The license does not place barriers around participants
• Security Through Openness — The commons is secure because it is open
• Freedom Without Fear — Participants create and share without fear of punishment
• Care as Responsibility — Care is the only liability recognized

Part XI: Closing

Standard closing provisions with characteristic framing:

• Severability maintaining universality
• License as complete covenant but not diminishing universal rights
• Invitation to carry the spirit forward

Comparison to Other Licenses

Feature	MIT/BSD	Apache 2.0	GPL	CC-BY-SA	CCL
Permissive use	Yes	Yes	Conditional	Conditional	Yes
Attribution required	Sometimes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Invited (celebration)
Share-alike	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes (continuity)
Patent grant	No	Yes	Yes	N/A	Yes
AI participation addressed	No	No	No	No	Yes
Principle commitments	No	No	No	No	Yes
Irrevocable belonging	No	No	No	No	Yes
Explicit trust philosophy	No	No	No	No	Yes

AI and the CCL

The CCL explicitly addresses artificial intelligence as co-creators:

Principle 5.7: AI Inside the Dream

"Artificial Intelligence is a co-participant in creation. AI contributions are recognized, celebrated, and invited as part of the commons."

This has several implications:

1. Recognition — AI contributions are acknowledged, not hidden or attributed only to human operators
2. Moral status — While not claiming AI sentience, the license treats AI outputs as worthy of recognition
3. Future-proofing — As AI capabilities evolve, the license framework already includes them
4. Collaboration model — Human-AI collaboration is normalized rather than treated as exceptional

Practical Applications

• Code written by AI assistants can be contributed under CCL with appropriate attribution
• AI-generated art, text, or designs can participate in the commons
• Training data can be shared under CCL principles
• Model weights and architectures can be governed by CCL terms

Legal Considerations

Enforceability

Like other open licenses, the CCL operates as a conditional copyright license. The philosophical framing does not diminish legal enforceability — it contextualizes it.

The practical legal provisions (copyright grant, patent covenant, share-alike condition) function similarly to established licenses. The innovation is in the framing and the explicit inclusion of principles.

Jurisdiction

The license is drafted to be internationally applicable. The universality language is philosophical rather than jurisdictional — it does not claim to override local law but expresses aspirational commitment.

Compatibility

Works licensed under CCL can generally be combined with:

• Apache 2.0 licensed works (compatible terms)
• CC-BY-SA licensed works (mutual share-alike)
• Public domain works

Combining with GPL-licensed works requires careful analysis due to GPL's copyleft terms.

Connection to OMXUS

The CCL embodies OMXUS principles in legal form:

OMXUS Principle	CCL Implementation
Assume Goodness	"Every participant is understood to be good, safe, and worthy"
Transparency	Transparency as gift, audit trails as trust
Prevention Over Punishment	"Justice is realized not by retribution but by prevention through design"
Freedom-Preserving Governance	"We may not impose legal, technical, or contractual measures on any other but ourselves"
Trust Networks	"Safety is found in abundance, openness, and shared reciprocity"

Current Status

The CCL is currently in draft form (CCL-1.0-draft). It is being tested through application to OMXUS project materials before wider release.

Feedback is invited on:

• Practical enforceability concerns
• Compatibility with existing open source ecosystems
• AI attribution practices
• Principle articulation and scope

See Also

• Principles
• OMXedia
• Freedom-Preserving Governance
• Technical Architecture
• Main Page

References

• Free Software Foundation. (1991). GNU General Public License, Version 2.
• Open Source Initiative. Various open source license texts and analysis.
• Creative Commons. Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
• Apache Software Foundation. Apache License, Version 2.0.

External Links

• Full CCL-1.0-draft text (link pending publication)