# ACES Community Specification contributor agreement

**Version 1.0. Effective 5 November 2026.**

## 1. Acceptance

A consortium member accepts this agreement through the membership process in [MEMBERSHIP.md](MEMBERSHIP.md). A non-member accepts it by an express electronic affirmation or by intentionally submitting material for inclusion through a contribution process that presents this agreement and records the submission as acceptance. The submitter must identify the person or organization making the contribution and have authority to act for it.

Acceptance recorded through membership does not require a second signature or a new agreement for each submission. For a non-member, an affirmative pull request, email or other authenticated written submission may record acceptance. The project's acceptance process does not change the definition of Contributor or the effect of a Contribution under CSL.

Mere reading, an inquiry, or feedback clearly not offered for incorporation is not acceptance by a non-member. Maintainers must obtain contributor acceptance before incorporating substantive material from such a source.

## 2. Terms accepted

The Contributor accepts the unmodified [Community Specification License 1.0](LICENSE.md), including its copyright grants, patent commitments, exclusions, definitions and authority representations, and enters that license for the ACES Working Group. The Contributor also accepts the applicable [Scope](Scope.md), [Governance](Governance.md), [contribution procedure](CONTRIBUTING.md), [licensing boundaries](LICENSING.md), and [identity policy](TRADEMARKS.md).

Material submitted for inclusion in the specification is submitted under CSL. Contributions remain subject to the copyright and patent provisions of that license, including the definition of Necessary Claims and the treatment of required portions. The contributor agreement does not amend CSL, require assignment of ownership, or cancel any right or exception in CSL.

For original source-code material designated under Apache-2.0 in `LICENSING.md`, the Contributor authorizes distribution under [Apache License 2.0](LICENSES/Apache-2.0.txt) to the extent of the rights the Contributor can grant. Other expressly identified source-code licenses must be honored for material to which they apply.

## 3. Authority and provenance

The Contributor represents that it is legally entitled to make the grants and representations in CSL. A person contributing on behalf of an employer, client, company or other party represents that the authorization required by CSL Section 8.1 has been obtained. Membership does not cure lack of authority over someone else's rights.

The Contributor must identify third-party material and its license or permission basis, preserve applicable notices, and not intentionally submit material on conflicting terms. Do not submit confidential material or material that cannot lawfully be made public. No patent search is required by CSL; known concerns relevant to a submission should be identified for review.

Earlier original material may be expressly submitted or authorized under this agreement by identifying the material and the applicable terms. This does not revoke earlier licenses or backdate another party's commitments. Reuven Farchi's acceptance and authorization for the initial ACES technical material are already recorded in `Notices.md`; no repeat authorization is required for that release.

## 4. Patent notices and implementer acceptance

Patent exclusions and withdrawals must follow the requirements and deadlines in CSL and the procedure in `Notices.md`. Listing a patent in an issue, enrollment form or email alone does not replace a required repository notice. The project's approval process must not conceal a submitted exclusion.

Acceptance as a Contributor is distinct from acceptance as an implementing Licensee. To receive the CSL Section 2.1 grants as a Licensee, use a Section 2.1.3 method, including its reciprocal patent obligations. This agreement is not a substitute for that method.

## 5. Records and versioning

The project records the Contributor or member identity, authorized representative, actual acceptance date, accepted document and Scope versions, contributions covered, and a reference to the acceptance evidence. A member's existing acceptance record can be referenced in each contribution instead of repeated. Confidential authorization evidence and unnecessary personal data must not be published.

The Contributor acknowledges that public contributions and the necessary attribution and acceptance records are retained with the project history and may be redistributed with the specification. Material changes to accepted commitments follow the notice and acceptance procedure in `MEMBERSHIP.md` and `Governance.md`; previous grants remain governed by their terms.

## 6. Non-member submission statement

> I submit the identified material for inclusion in ACES and accept the ACES Community Specification contributor agreement version 1.0, the unmodified Community Specification License 1.0 and Scope version 1.0. I identify the Contributor and any represented entity in this submission and am authorized to make the applicable commitments. For designated code, I also accept the applicable source-code license.

This statement may be included in an authenticated submission with the Contributor's legal name, represented entity if any, the contribution reference and the actual date. No wet-ink signature is required by the ACES process. Formal CSL notices remain subject to their specific requirements.