Palimpsest-MPL License

File-level copyleft with ethical use, emotional lineage, and quantum-safe provenance.

Like a palimpsest manuscript where each layer builds upon what came before, this license recognises that creative works carry history, context, and meaning that transcend mere code or text.

What is PMPL?

The Palimpsest-MPL License extends the proven Mozilla Public License 2.0 with three key additions, designed for open-source software, creative works, research artefacts, datasets, ML models, and provenance-sensitive cultural materials.

The Covenant

PMPL includes the Palimpsest Covenant — a commitment to honour the narrative and symbolic weight of works. Contributors acknowledge that code and creative output exist within a lineage: cultural context matters, attribution chains must be preserved, and ethical use is a shared responsibility. The Covenant is governed by the Palimpsest Stewardship Council.

AI Training: Permitted with Attribution

PMPL explicitly permits use in AI training datasets, with clear attribution obligations for non-interpretive systems. This is not a restriction on use — it is a requirement for transparency.

Quick Start

# Download the license
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license/main/v1.0/LICENSE.txt
mv LICENSE.txt LICENSE

# Add SPDX headers to your source files
// SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-2.0-or-later
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Your Name

Palimpsest Plasma (Tooling)

The palimpsest-plasma project provides a ReScript-based license parser, compliance checker, and SPDX tooling.

cargo install palimpsest-plasma

SPDX Identifier

PMPL-2.0-or-later