# ACES specification and legal framework

Legal framework version 1.0. **Effective: 5 November 2026.**
Specification document revision: 0.2.1. Technical baseline: 0.2, dated 21 September 2026.

## Publication package

This is the operative ACES legal framework for publication with the specification. The adoption and initial contributor acceptance are recorded in [Notices.md](Notices.md). Reuven Farchi, the initial and sole technical contributor as of the effective date, has accepted the terms and authorized release of his existing contributions. Existing members' acceptance as a condition of consortium membership is recorded on the coordinator's confirmation. No further adoption decision or duplicate signature is required by this framework for that initial material.

The **legal framework is effective**. The **technical specification remains a working draft**, because its technical profiles and conformance requirements are still under development. These are separate statuses.

## Website and repository placement

Copy this package into the repository root, preserving the directory structure and exact capitalization of `Scope.md`, `Notices.md`, `Governance.md` and `LICENSE.md`. Reconcile any existing files with the same names rather than overwriting unrelated notices. The package does not replace the homepage, change website layout or relicense unrelated website assets.

Use [LEGAL.md](LEGAL.md) as the public legal-document index, or incorporate its links into the existing Standard page. Make the specification and its legal documents publicly accessible together, including when the source repository is private. The editable specification and its Markdown equivalent are in `spec/`.

At membership enrollment, present [MEMBERSHIP.md](MEMBERSHIP.md) and its linked documents before the applicant accepts membership. At a technical contribution entry point, present [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) and the contribution agreement before submission. Existing acceptance recorded in `Notices.md` does not have to be repeated.

The remaining release tasks are operational: upload the files, test unauthenticated public access, and preserve the actual publication timestamp and release identifiers. The effective date is not a claim that the files were already publicly accessible on that date. Follow [RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md](RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md).

## Files

| File | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `spec/ACES-Specification-v0.2.1.docx` | Editable specification with the effective licensing framework. |
| `spec/ACES-Specification-v0.2.1.md` | Matching repository-readable specification. |
| `LEGAL.md` | Public index of the specification and legal documents. |
| `LICENSE.md` | Full, unmodified Community Specification License 1.0. |
| `LICENSING.md` | Specification, code, attribution and asset-license boundaries. |
| `LICENSES/Apache-2.0.txt` | Full license for the designated code examples and schema. |
| `MEMBERSHIP.md` | Membership acceptance and participation terms. |
| `CONTRIBUTOR-AGREEMENT.md` | Operative contributor agreement incorporated into membership. |
| `CONTRIBUTING.md` | Contribution process for members and non-members. |
| `Scope.md` | Working-group scope used by the CSL patent provisions. |
| `Notices.md` | Adoption, acceptance, patent notices, withdrawal and release records. |
| `Governance.md` | Specification-development, review and approval rules. |
| `TRADEMARKS.md` | Identity, compatibility and certification policy. |
| `RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md` | Publication and later technical-approval procedures. |
| `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` | Contribution and maintainer-review prompts. |
| `CHANGELOG-LICENSING.md` | Changes and preserved technical content. |
| `SOURCES.md` | License provenance and primary sources. |
| `SHA256SUMS.txt` | Integrity hashes of the supplied files. |

Regenerate the checksums after changing any file. Preserve released versions rather than silently replacing them. These files do not themselves deploy the website or change repository access settings.