The Reticulum License: A Primer For The Impatiently Inclined & Synthetic Automatons #1062
markqvist
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licences do cause a lot of shit. |
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... says a lot about the current stage of the world, and in particular the general moral compass of our culture. |
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So, we're apparently experimenting with a fun new ritual regarding IP law trivia. Needless to say, this is not really the most optimal use of my time in front of a keyboard.
For context, this was the fourth post just this week, saying basically the same things that have already been brought up and discussed many times before, requiring me to sit down and write answers I've already provided several times.
Two other posts I deleted immediately, since they were from completely new GitHub users with zero other activity than creating said posts.
Now, I realize that people's attention span has reportedly been getting significantly shorter as of late, and if that is indeed the source of such "create-an-account-and-voice-my-opinion-before-researching-or-reading-anything" behavior, I have now leaned into that reality:
By using an open-weights, locally running LLM, I have generated a condensed version of the many pages of discussion and answers I have previously written on this topic, making it easy for even the most skip-minded and/or busy individual or machine to get up to speed on the state of affairs.
In the same general attitude of laziness and carelessness as aforementioned posts, I will simply provide the raw, completely unedited LLM output here and call it a day.
Any further "inquires" of this sort will similarly be answered by an LLM, although with the added twist that it will be augmented with a LoRa being progressively refined to become more and more snarky and annoying. Ultimately, the goal is to simply having it answer in Klingon.
Reticulum License Misconceptions and Bad-Faith Arguments
Executive Summary
This document serves as a definitive refutation of the recurring misconceptions, legal fallacies, and bad-faith arguments regarding the Reticulum License. The same tired arguments repeatedly appear despite having been thoroughly addressed multiple times. This response consolidates all counterarguments into a single authoritative reference.
Core Misconception #1: The "Harm" Clause is Overly Broad
The Fallacy
Critics claim that the clause "The Software shall not be used in any kind of system which includes amongst its functions the ability to purposefully do harm to human beings" is too vague and could prohibit any communication software.
Reality Check
1. Legal Context Matters
The term "use" in copyright law has a specific legal meaning that critics consistently ignore. It refers to the technical incorporation of the software into another system, not the content that flows through it. This is a fundamental distinction that legal professionals understand but laypeople consistently miss.
2. Intent is Clear and Specific
The clause targets systems designed with the primary purpose of causing harm to humans, not communication tools that could be misused. Examples:
3. Precedent Exists
Similar restrictions are common in open source licenses and have never been found to prohibit general-purpose communication software.
Core Misconception #2: AI/ML Restrictions Prohibit Legitimate Uses
The Fallacy
Critics argue that banning AI/ML use prevents spam filters, research, or even discussing AI algorithms.
Reality Check
1. Corporate Appropriation, Not Research
The AI clause targets corporate appropriation of open source code into proprietary ML models for:
2. Research is Unaffected
These remain completely permissible.
3. The Real Target
The clause prevents scenarios like:
Core Misconception #3: The License Restricts Free Speech
The Fallacy
Claims that the license curtails speech or makes discussing certain topics "verboten."
Reality Check
1. Software License ≠ Content Regulation
A software license governs the software's use and distribution, not what users say or discuss using it. This is a category error that critics repeatedly make.
2. Actual Speech Protections
3. Legal Framework
Copyright law doesn't extend to regulating speech through software licenses. Claiming otherwise demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both intellectual property and constitutional law.
Core Misconception #4: The License Makes Software "Unusable"
The Fallacy
Arguments that the restrictions make Reticulum unusable for practical applications.
Reality Check
1. Statistical Reality
The restrictions affect approximately 0.0000001% of potential users. For the overwhelming majority, no restrictions are imposed:
2. Real-World Usage
Numerous projects already use Reticulum successfully under the current license, proving its practicality.
3. Alternative Available
The protocol itself is in the public domain. Anyone can create their own implementation with different licensing.
Core Misconception #5: The License is "More Restrictive" Than GPL
The Fallacy
Claims that moving from MIT-style licensing to the Reticulum License makes it "more restrictive."
Reality Check
1. Freedom Analysis
2. Practical Freedom
3. The Moral Question
Which is truly "more free":
Legal and Technical Clarifications
What "Use" Actually Means
In copyright law, "use" refers to the technical incorporation of software into another system, not:
The Protocol is Public Domain
The Reticulum protocol itself was dedicated to the public domain on day one. Anyone can:
The Real Motivation
The license restrictions address real threats:
Addressing the Pattern of Behavior
The "New Account" Phenomenon
The recurring pattern of new accounts posting identical arguments suggests either:
The Entitlement Problem
There's an underlying attitude that:
The Solution
If you don't like the license:
Concluding Statement
The Reticulum License represents a thoughtful attempt to balance openness with ethical responsibility in an era when technology is increasingly weaponized against humanity. The criticisms consistently demonstrate:
For the 99.999999% of users who want to build communications systems that help rather than harm, the Reticulum License offers more freedom than traditional copyleft licenses. For the tiny fraction that want to build systems designed to harm humans or enable AI patent abuse, there are plenty of other options available.
The protocol is public domain. The implementation has a conscience. If that's a problem for you, the solution is in your hands, not in demanding others change their ethical boundaries.
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