HTML reading edition of the supplied document. The original download is preserved unchanged.

ACES licensing and attribution

Policy version 1.0. Effective 5 November 2026.

1. Specification material

The ACES Specification, document revision 0.2.1, is licensed under the unmodified Community Specification License 1.0 in LICENSE.md. Its working-group scope is Scope.md. This designation covers the specification text and original specification diagrams; code elements expressly identified below have their separate source-code license. Future specification contributions accepted under the ACES contributor agreement are included under CSL.

The original ACES policy text in this framework is also made available under CSL to the extent of the rights held or licensed by its contributors. Factual notice records do not grant rights in third-party material or override applicable personal-data rights.

The specification's SPDX identifier is Community-Spec-1.0. The CC-BY-4.0 notice at the end of the unmodified upstream license identifies rights in the license text itself, not a different license for the ACES specification.

CSL governs the grants, definitions, conditions, exclusions and termination provisions. Explanatory summaries and project procedures do not amend it or revoke rights already granted. Framework adoption and the initial contributor authorization are recorded in Notices.md.

2. Code and machine-readable examples

The following original ACES code elements are licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0, reproduced in LICENSES/Apache-2.0.txt:

The illustrative JSON Electronic Data Sheet in Section 5.4.
The illustrative invocation JSON in Section 5.5.
The preliminary JSON Schema in Annex A.

This is the express code-license selection under CSL Section 4. Surrounding explanatory text remains specification material under CSL. Licensing does not change the illustrative or non-normative status of the examples.

New original ACES reference software, test tools, firmware, schemas and executable examples use Apache-2.0 unless an alternative is explicitly approved and identified before inclusion. Each code file or directory must carry an explicit designation. Third-party code retains its applicable terms. CSL Section 4 supplies a MIT default for Working Group source code without an included code license; maintainers must avoid that ambiguity through explicit notices.

A source-code license and the specification's patent provisions are separate. Implementers seeking the CSL Section 2.1 grants must also satisfy Section 2.1.3. Placing LICENSE.md in a mixed repository does not apply CSL to unrelated software.

3. Assets and earlier material

This framework does not relicense the website application, deployment files, existing consortium overview, photographs, third-party logos, marketing material, dependencies, external standards or unrelated files merely because they share a repository. Preserve their existing notices and permissions.

Earlier releases retain licenses actually granted for them. This revision does not revoke an earlier grant, remove required notices or retroactively commit another party's patents. Original technical contributions by Reuven Farchi in baseline version 0.2 are expressly authorized for this edition as recorded in Notices.md. Future material must have recorded provenance and sufficient contribution authority.

4. Attribution and ownership

CSL Section 1.2 requires a derivative work to attribute the Working Group, including the source material's name, version and retrieval source. It does not require attribution on an implementation merely because it implements ACES.

A source-identification statement for this release is:

Based on ACES: Appliance Communications and Execution Standard, document revision 0.2.1, maintained by the ACES Consortium. The source specification is licensed under the Community Specification License 1.0.

Add the actual URL or other source from which the material was retrieved. Distinguish an unofficial derivative from an official ACES release. A derivative's own additions may have other terms as permitted by CSL; do not imply that all of them are necessarily licensed identically.

Copyright and other rights remain with their respective holders unless separately assigned. Membership, implementation or repository administration does not transfer ownership of another party's material. ACES Consortium stewards official project releases; no transfer to a foundation or other entity is created by this framework.

5. Membership and contributor acceptance

Membership incorporates acceptance of MEMBERSHIP.md and the contributor agreement, including CSL and the applicable Scope. A recorded membership acceptance is sufficient for the project's contributor-agreement process; members need not sign again for each contribution. Non-members accept through the contribution process. Representatives must have the authority required by CSL Section 8.1.

The initial adoption and contributor acceptance are recorded in Notices.md. Ordinary reading or a question-only submission by a non-member does not constitute contributor acceptance through this process.

6. Implementer patent-license acceptance

CSL Section 2.1.3 specifies three acceptance routes:

For source-code distributions, include the full CSL in the root directory with the implementation, while clearly identifying its separate software license.
For non-source distributions, include the full CSL in documentation, legal notices, notice in the software, or other written materials provided with the implementation.
Have an authorized representative issue a pull request or commit to the specification repository's Notices.md, identifying the implementer, authorized person, system identifier and specification version.

These routes include the reciprocal patent obligations in Section 2.1.2. A website link, membership alone or contributor acceptance alone does not replace them. Read the full license and act with appropriate entity authority.

Patent coverage depends on CSL, including Necessary Claims, the required portions of the implemented specification, the applicable Scope and valid exclusions. It does not cover every feature of a product or license unrelated third-party rights. Consult Notices.md, including submitted but unmerged notices.

7. Distribution

Publish LICENSE.md, this guide, LICENSES/Apache-2.0.txt, Scope.md, Notices.md, Governance.md, membership and contribution terms, and TRADEMARKS.md with the specification. Keep versioned copies publicly accessible. LEGAL.md provides the public index.

Redistributed technical material must include a notice materially similar to the CSL Section 8.2 disclaimer. The specification's Section 9.8 supplies it. Compatibility and certification claims are not warranties of safety, fitness or non-infringement.