License
Termin is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0 — a permissive open-source license with a patent grant. The same license covers the compiler, the reference runtime, the conformance suite, and the IR schema.
The canonical copy of the license lives in the LICENSE file of the compiler repository. The text on this page is a verbatim copy. If the two ever disagree, the repository file is authoritative.
Short FAQ
Is there a contributor license agreement (CLA)?
No. Contributions are accepted under the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) via standard GitHub pull requests. Each commit must carry a Signed-off-by: trailer (git commit -s). The DCO is a lightweight attestation that you have the right to contribute the code under the project's license — it is not a rights-assignment agreement, and you retain copyright on your own contributions.
Most legal teams accept the DCO model without follow-up. It is the same model used by the Linux kernel and many other large open-source projects.
Can I use Termin commercially?
Yes. The Apache 2.0 license permits commercial use, modification, distribution, and private use. You may build a commercial product on top of Termin, host a commercial service that uses Termin internally, or embed Termin in a commercial product. The license does not restrict commercial use in any way.
Can I fork Termin?
Yes. Forking is expressly permitted by the license. If the project's direction does not match your needs, forking is a supported outcome. The compiler, the reference runtime, the conformance suite, and the IR schema are all designed to be forkable — the IR schema and the package format are the contract, and the reference implementation is one conforming implementation among possible others.
A request, not a legal requirement. If your fork diverges significantly from the project's direction — new language semantics, a different conformance standard, a materially different product — please use a different name rather than "Termin." Apache 2.0 permits keeping the name. But distinct names help users, security researchers, and potential contributors tell the projects apart; a clearly-named fork tends to do better on its own terms. Small-scope forks for patches, experiments, or bug fixes are welcome to keep the name.
Can I remove the attribution notices?
No. The Apache 2.0 license requires retention of the LICENSE file, the NOTICE file, and the copyright notices in source files. Redistribution must include these. You are free to add your own notices; you must not remove existing ones.
Can I re-license Termin under a different license?
No, not the project itself. The Apache 2.0 license does not permit sub-licensing under a more restrictive license in a way that supersedes the original grant. Your modifications may be distributed under a different license, but the Apache-2.0-licensed portions remain under Apache 2.0.
Is there a paid tier or enterprise edition?
No, and this is a deliberate project policy rather than a future roadmap item. There is no paid tier, no hosted offering, no enterprise edition, and no commercial support contract available for Termin. The project has no monetization plan. A deliberate, publicly-announced change of policy would be required to revisit this — one that includes advance notice, a clear delineation of what is and is not in the open-source distribution, and no retroactive license changes.
Adjacent services (training, third-party support) may eventually exist through Clarity Intelligence, an AI literacy education brand by the same founder. Clarity Intelligence does not own, sponsor, or commercialize Termin.
Does Termin ship with any dependencies under a more restrictive license?
No. Every dependency of the compiler and the reference runtime is under a permissive license compatible with Apache 2.0. The SBOM (Software Bill of Materials — a document enumerating every dependency and its license) published with each release lists every dependency and its license — see /security for where to find it.
Who holds the copyright?
Copyright on the Termin codebase is held by Jamie-Leigh Blake and contributors to the Termin project. Individual attribution (not an LLC or other entity) is a deliberate choice — the project has no corporate owner, and the collective-contributors framing makes the attribution inclusive of future work. Contributors retain copyright on their own contributions, licensed to the project under Apache 2.0 via the DCO.
The NOTICE file in the compiler repository is the authoritative attribution record and will be kept current as contributions land.
Apache License, Version 2.0
Apache License
Version 2.0, January 2004
http://www.apache.org/licenses/
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Copyright 2026 Jamie-Leigh Blake and Termin project contributors
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
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Termin
Copyright 2026 Jamie-Leigh Blake and Termin project contributors
This product includes software developed by Jamie-Leigh Blake and
contributors to the Termin project.
This product includes third-party software whose license terms are
listed in the dependency manifest and the published SBOM for each
release. See https://github.com/jamieleigh3d/termin-compiler/releases.