QODIQA Public Specification
License
Public Usage, Derivative Constraints,
and Certification Boundary Framework

#Definitions

The following terms, when used in this License, carry the meanings assigned below. All definitions are deterministic and shall not be construed expansively or by analogy beyond their stated scope.

#Grant of Public Access

Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, the Governance Authority grants to any person or entity ("Recipient") a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access the Specification Corpus for the purposes enumerated in Section 3 (Permitted Uses).

Publication of the Specification Corpus in accessible form is a deliberate act of the Governance Authority to facilitate adoption, evaluation, and independent implementation. Such publication does not constitute abandonment of governance authority, relaxation of integrity requirements, or waiver of Trademark rights. The grant of public access is conditioned upon compliance with this License in its entirety.

Access obtained through any channel, including official publication repositories, third-party mirrors, academic archives, or derivative distributions, is governed by this License. Recipients who redistribute copies of the Specification Corpus must ensure that this License accompanies any such redistribution without modification.

#Permitted Uses

The following uses of the Specification Corpus are expressly permitted under this License without additional authorization from the Governance Authority, provided all other terms of this License are observed.

#Restrictions

The following acts are prohibited under this License. Violation of any prohibition constitutes a material breach of this License and triggers the consequences set forth in Section 16 (Termination).

#Derivative Specifications

Any party that produces a Derivative Specification, as defined in Section 1, is subject to the requirements of this Section in addition to all other applicable provisions of this License.

#Conformance Claims

Conformance Claims are subject to a tiered regime that distinguishes between certified conformance, self-attested alignment, and informal description. The applicable tier governs both the language that may be used and the obligations that attach to the claimant.

#Certification Boundary Protection

The QODIQA Certification Framework constitutes a protected institutional instrument. The integrity of Certification as a signal of conformance quality depends upon the exclusivity and control of Certification authority. Unauthorized replication or simulation of Certification processes undermines the informational value of Certification to the public, to regulators, and to the market.

#Trademark and Naming Policy

"QODIQA" is a protected designation of the Governance Authority. Its use is governed by this Section and, where applicable, by separate trademark licensing instruments issued by the Governance Authority. The provisions of this Section apply to all uses of the Trademark in connection with implementations, products, services, publications, and communications of any kind.

#Intellectual Property and Patent Boundary

This Section defines the intellectual property boundary applicable to the Specification Corpus. The provisions of this Section are intended to provide clarity to implementors and to the broader technical community without creating patent obligations of any kind.

#No Warranty

The Specification Corpus is published on an "as is" basis. The Governance Authority makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the Specification Corpus or any portion thereof.

• No warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. The Governance Authority does not warrant that the Specification Corpus is suitable for any specific application, deployment context, or regulatory purpose.
• No warranty of accuracy or completeness. The Governance Authority does not warrant that the Specification Corpus is free of errors, omissions, or ambiguities.
• No guarantee of regulatory compliance. Publication of the Specification Corpus does not constitute a representation that implementation of the Specification Corpus will satisfy any regulatory, legal, or contractual obligation in any jurisdiction.
• No operational guarantee. The Governance Authority does not guarantee that Implementations built according to the Specification Corpus will perform as intended, achieve any security objective, or satisfy any operational requirement.
• No warranty arising from course of dealing. No warranty arises from the Governance Authority's conduct in publishing, maintaining, or revising the Specification Corpus, or from any prior course of dealing between the Governance Authority and any Recipient.

Recipients are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability of the Specification Corpus for their intended purposes and for ensuring that their Implementations satisfy all applicable legal, regulatory, and operational requirements.

The Specification Corpus has not been designed, validated, or warranted for use in high-risk AI systems, critical infrastructure, safety-critical environments, or autonomous decision-making systems where failure or non-conformance could result in physical harm, regulatory liability, or systemic risk. Recipients deploying Implementations in such contexts bear full and exclusive responsibility for all risk assessment, regulatory compliance, and safety validation applicable to their deployment environment.

Publication of the Specification Corpus does not constitute a representation that conformant implementations will satisfy the requirements of any safety certification, critical infrastructure standard, or regulatory regime, including without limitation those governing autonomous systems, medical devices, financial infrastructure, or public safety systems. No conformance determination under this corpus substitutes for applicable domain-specific certification obligations.

The Specification Corpus shall not be relied upon as a sufficient basis for deployment in safety-critical systems, autonomous decision-making environments, or regulated contexts where independent certification, domain-specific validation, or regulatory authorization is required.

#Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Governance Authority shall not be liable for any loss, damage, cost, or expense of any kind arising out of or in connection with: (a) the publication or availability of the Specification Corpus; (b) any Recipient's use of, reliance upon, or inability to use the Specification Corpus; (c) any error, omission, or ambiguity in the Specification Corpus; (d) any change to, withdrawal of, or failure to update the Specification Corpus; or (e) any act or omission of any Authorized Certification Body or other third party in connection with Certification activities.

This limitation applies to all categories of loss, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, and punitive damages, and applies regardless of the theory of liability, whether in contract, tort, statute, or otherwise, and regardless of whether the Governance Authority has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Where applicable law does not permit exclusion or limitation of certain categories of liability, the Governance Authority's liability shall be limited to the minimum extent required by such law.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Governance Authority shall not be liable for: (a) regulatory penalties, administrative fines, or compliance costs incurred by a Recipient in connection with any Implementation; (b) system failures, security incidents, data breaches, or operational disruptions arising from or related to any Implementation; (c) indirect, consequential, or downstream harms resulting from a Recipient's reliance on the Specification Corpus in safety-critical or high-risk deployment contexts; or (d) any loss or damage arising from the acts or omissions of Authorized Certification Bodies or third-party assessors. Each implementor bears full and sole responsibility for the security, reliability, and regulatory compliance of its own Implementation.

#Governance Authority

The QODIQA Governance Charter constitutes the supreme governance instrument of the Specification Corpus. This License is subordinate to the Governance Charter and shall be construed consistently with its provisions. In the event of any conflict between this License and the Governance Charter, the Governance Charter prevails.

12.1 Exclusive Authority

The Governance Authority holds exclusive authority over the following matters, which may not be delegated, transferred, or assumed by any other party except as expressly provided in the Governance Charter.

• Amendment, revision, and withdrawal of documents within the Specification Corpus
• Issuance of Certification determinations and authorization of Authorized Certification Bodies
• Specification evolution, versioning policy, and backward compatibility determinations
• Interpretation of this License and resolution of disputes arising under it
• Authorization of Trademark use beyond what is expressly permitted under Section 8
• Authorization of Derivative Specification naming under the QODIQA designation

12.2 Interpretive Authority

Within the scope of governance operations, including decisions concerning Certification, Trademark authorization, Derivative Specification approval, and amendment of the Specification Corpus, the Governance Authority's interpretation of this License shall be treated as authoritative and shall be the reference point for the resolution of internal disputes under the procedures defined in the Governance Charter.

Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit, exclude, or override the jurisdiction of any court or competent adjudicative authority under applicable law. Courts retain authority to interpret and apply this License in accordance with applicable law, including the law of the governing jurisdiction identified in Section 15. The Governance Authority does not assert interpretive authority over matters that are properly subject to judicial determination.

Where ambiguity exists in the interpretation of any provision of this License, or where a dispute arises as to the application of License terms to a specific act or circumstance, the Governance Authority's written interpretive determination shall constitute the authoritative and binding interpretation for all governance proceedings, Certification decisions, and Trademark authorizations conducted under this License, subject to any final judicial ruling on the same matter.

#Amendment Process

This License may be amended only by the Governance Authority acting through the procedures defined in the QODIQA Governance Charter. No community process, industry body, standards organization, or other entity outside the Governance Authority has authority to amend this License.

13.1 License Versioning

Each version of this License is identified by a version number in the form QPSL v[Major].[Minor]. The current version is QPSL v1.0. Amendments that alter the substantive rights or obligations of Recipients result in a new Major or Minor version. Recipients are bound by the version of this License that was in effect at the time they first accessed the Specification Corpus, unless they elect to be governed by a subsequent version.

13.2 Backward Compatibility

The Governance Authority will use reasonable efforts to ensure that amendments to this License do not impose materially more restrictive conditions on Permitted Uses that were expressly authorized under a prior version of this License, and that adequate notice of amendments is published prior to their effective date. These commitments are hortatory and do not create enforceable obligations upon the Governance Authority.

13.3 Prohibition on Unilateral Community Modification

No community process, pull request, public comment, or other collective action constitutes an amendment to this License. Purported amendments not issued by the Governance Authority are of no legal effect.

#Severability

If any provision of this License is held by a court or other competent authority to be invalid, unenforceable, or contrary to applicable law in any jurisdiction, such provision shall be severed from this License to the minimum extent necessary to render this License valid and enforceable in that jurisdiction. The remaining provisions of this License shall continue in full force and effect.

Where a severed provision reflects a material element of the bargain between the Governance Authority and Recipients — in particular, provisions relating to Certification Boundary Protection, Trademark and Naming, Derivative Specification restrictions, and Conformance Claim requirements — the Governance Authority reserves the right to treat the severance as grounds for declining to extend the Grant of Public Access under Section 2 in the relevant jurisdiction, pending replacement of the severed provision.

The unenforceability of any provision in one jurisdiction shall not affect its enforceability in any other jurisdiction.

#Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This License is governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Governance Authority is legally domiciled, as recorded in the QODIQA Governance Charter. Conflict-of-laws principles that would require application of the law of any other jurisdiction do not apply. Any court applying this License shall treat the law of the governing jurisdiction as the sole applicable substantive law.

15.1 Mandatory Local Law

Nothing in this License shall be construed to exclude, restrict, or override any right or obligation arising under mandatory provisions of applicable local law that cannot be waived by contract. Where any provision of this License conflicts with a mandatory provision of applicable local law in a given jurisdiction, the applicable local law provision prevails to the minimum extent necessary to establish compliance, and the remainder of this License continues in force.

15.2 Jurisdiction for Disputes

Any dispute arising under or in connection with this License that cannot be resolved through the Governance Authority's internal procedures under Section 12 shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the governing jurisdiction identified under this Section. Each party irrevocably submits to the personal jurisdiction of those courts and waives any objection to venue on grounds of inconvenience, improper venue, or lack of jurisdiction. Nothing in this License constitutes a mandatory arbitration clause, and no party is obligated to submit to arbitration without express agreement.

15.3 International Enforceability

The Governance Authority intends this License to be enforceable in all jurisdictions in which the Specification Corpus is accessed or implemented. Where enforcement requires adaptation to local legal requirements, such adaptation shall be made by the competent authorities of the relevant jurisdiction in a manner consistent with the purposes of this License, and shall not be construed as invalidating the License in other jurisdictions.

#Termination

The rights granted to a Recipient under this License terminate automatically upon the Recipient's material breach of any provision of this License. Material breach includes, without limitation, any act falling within the prohibitions of Section 4, any violation of Section 5, any false Conformance Claim under Section 6, any unauthorized Certification activity under Section 7, and any unauthorized Trademark use under Section 8.

16.1 Automatic Termination

Termination is automatic upon material breach and requires no notice, action, or communication from the Governance Authority. Upon termination, the Recipient must immediately cease all uses of the Specification Corpus beyond those that do not require a license, including cessation of any Conformance Claims and removal of any Trademark usage that was predicated upon the License.

16.2 Cure Period for Non-Willful Breach

Notwithstanding Section 16.1, where a breach is non-willful, that is, where the Recipient did not act with knowledge that the conduct in question constituted a violation of this License, the Recipient's rights are not automatically terminated if the Recipient cures the breach fully within thirty (30) calendar days of becoming aware of the breach. Cure must fully remedy all effects of the violation, including cessation of prohibited acts, correction of any published materials, and withdrawal of any unauthorized Conformance Claims or Trademark usage. The Governance Authority retains discretion to deny automatic cure effect in cases of repeated non-willful breach by the same Recipient.

The cure period established in this Section does not apply to: (a) false Certification claims under Section 6; (b) unauthorized use of official Certification marks or protected Certification instruments under Section 7; (c) fraudulent or intentionally deceptive conduct; or (d) any breach that has caused material harm to the integrity of the Certification Framework. Such breaches remain immediately terminable under Section 16.1.

16.3 Reinstatement

A Recipient whose rights have terminated under this Section may seek reinstatement by: (a) promptly curing the breach to the satisfaction of the Governance Authority; (b) providing written notice to the Governance Authority of the cure; and (c) receiving written confirmation of reinstatement from the Governance Authority. Reinstatement is discretionary and is not guaranteed. Prior termination and reinstatement may be considered by the Governance Authority in evaluating future requests for Certification or Trademark authorization.

16.4 Effect on Derivative Works

Termination of a Recipient's rights under this License extends to all Derivative Specifications and materials produced by that Recipient under the authority of this License. Termination does not affect the rights of third parties who have independently received rights under this License, provided those third parties are not themselves in material breach.

#Enforcement and Remedies

The Governance Authority reserves all rights and remedies available under applicable law and in equity to enforce the terms of this License and to protect the integrity of the Specification Corpus, the Certification Framework, and the Trademark. The provisions of this Section are cumulative and do not limit any other right or remedy available to the Governance Authority.

Enforcement proceedings may be initiated by issuance of a written notice of violation identifying the specific breach and, where applicable under this License, specifying a reasonable period within which the violating party may cure the breach. If the breach is not fully cured within the specified period, or where no cure period applies under Section 17.5, the Governance Authority may escalate without further notice to legal remedies including injunctive relief, demands for correction, and any other available equitable or legal remedy. The Governance Authority's decision to issue or withhold a notice of violation does not limit its right to pursue immediate enforcement where the severity of the breach warrants it.

17.1 Right to Injunctive Relief

The Governance Authority shall be entitled to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to restrain any actual or threatened violation of this License, without the requirement to demonstrate actual damages, the inadequacy of monetary remedies, or any other condition beyond the existence or reasonable likelihood of a violation. The right to seek injunctive relief is in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other remedy available to the Governance Authority.

17.2 Right to Demand Cure and Correction

Upon identification of a violation of this License, the Governance Authority may require the violating party to: (a) immediately remove or retract any false Conformance Claims, misleading representations, or unauthorized Trademark uses; (b) issue a corrective statement to any audience that received or may have relied upon the violating materials; (c) permanently delete or destroy unauthorized reproductions of protected instruments; and (d) provide written confirmation of compliance with all corrective demands within a specified timeframe. Compliance with a demand for cure and correction does not, by itself, constitute reinstatement of License rights or waiver of any claims arising from the underlying violation.

17.3 Non-Waiver of Enforcement Rights

Failure by the Governance Authority to enforce any provision of this License on any occasion, or delay in initiating enforcement action, shall not constitute a waiver of the Governance Authority's right to enforce that provision or any other provision on any subsequent occasion. No course of dealing, pattern of conduct, or prior forbearance shall be construed as a modification of this License or as a waiver of any enforcement right. Each instance of non-enforcement is independent and does not prejudice any future enforcement action.

17.4 Cumulative Remedies

All rights and remedies provided in this License are cumulative and are not exclusive of any other rights or remedies that the Governance Authority may have at law, in equity, or under any other instrument or agreement. The exercise of any one remedy shall not preclude the exercise of any other remedy. The Governance Authority may pursue multiple remedies simultaneously or in any sequence it deems appropriate.

17.5 Immediate Enforcement for Severe Violations

Notwithstanding any cure period provisions set forth in Section 16, the Governance Authority reserves the right to initiate immediate enforcement proceedings, without prior notice or cure opportunity, in cases involving: (a) false or fraudulent Certification claims; (b) unauthorized use of official Certification marks, conformance badges, or other protected Certification instruments; (c) misrepresentation of Implementation status to a regulatory authority, a certification body, or the public; or (d) any conduct that the Governance Authority determines poses an immediate and material threat to the integrity of the Certification Framework or the informational value of Certification as a conformance signal. In such cases, the absence of a cure period is itself a condition of enforcement, not a procedural oversight.

#Institutional Continuity Clause

The QODIQA Specification Corpus constitutes a continuous institutional standard. Its governance structure, Certification infrastructure, and normative integrity are designed to persist across organizational changes, technological evolution, and external pressures. This Section establishes protections against forms of institutional fragmentation that would undermine the integrity and continuity of the Specification Corpus as a public technical reference.

18.1 Anti-Capture Provision

No party, including any past or present contributor to the Specification Corpus, any Authorized Certification Body, any commercial implementor, or any regulatory body, acquires governance authority over the Specification Corpus by virtue of contribution, adoption, endorsement, or commercial dependency. Governance authority is constituted exclusively under the QODIQA Governance Charter and may only be transferred or restructured through procedures defined therein.

18.2 Anti-Forking Under Identical Identity

The creation of a document corpus, certification program, or governance body that: (a) uses the QODIQA designation or any confusingly similar designation; (b) represents itself as a continuation, successor, or replacement of the official Specification Corpus; and (c) has not been authorized by or does not operate under the authority of the Governance Authority, constitutes a violation of this License and an infringement of the Governance Authority's Trademark rights, regardless of the motivations of the parties involved.

18.3 Continuity of Terms

This License, and the rights and obligations it establishes, runs with the Specification Corpus and binds all Recipients regardless of the channel through which they obtained access. Changes in the organizational structure, ownership, or operational status of the Governance Authority do not alter the terms of this License or extinguish any rights or obligations arising under it. In the event of a governance transition, the Governance Charter's succession provisions govern the identification of the successor authority.

18.4 Scope of Clause

Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit legitimate academic critique, independent technical commentary, or the publication of alternative standards addressing similar technical problems under distinct designations that are not confusingly similar to QODIQA. The protections of this Section are directed at institutional identity integrity, not at the suppression of independent technical work.

#Document Status and Classification