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feat: PMPL 2.0 license text and Palimpsest Community Covenant v1.0
PMPL 2.0 (OSI-submittable): - MPL-2.0 base with strengthened attribution (Section 3) - Provenance metadata preservation required - Cryptographic signatures preserved but not required - No use restrictions — compatible with Open Source Definition - Automated processing attribution (AI training, aggregation) - Secondary license compatibility (GPL, LGPL, AGPL) Palimpsest Community Covenant v1.0 (separate, non-legal): - Ethical use norms (not license terms) - Emotional lineage preservation as community value - AI transparency expectations - Inspired by Contributor Covenant model Strategy: license handles legal, covenant handles values. Both evolve independently. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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‎PALIMPSEST-COVENANT.md‎

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# Palimpsest Community Covenant v1.0
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## Purpose
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This Covenant articulates the values and expectations of the Palimpsest
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community. It is not a license — it carries no legal obligations. It is a
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statement of shared norms that projects adopting the Palimpsest-MPL License
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are encouraged to follow.
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Like the Contributor Covenant for codes of conduct, this document exists
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separately from the license to provide ethical guidance without compromising
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legal clarity.
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## Principles
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### 1. Attribution is respect
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Every line of code carries the effort of someone who wrote it. We preserve
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attribution not because a license requires it, but because erasing someone's
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contribution erases their work. Credit where credit is due, always.
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### 2. Context matters
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Software carries meaning beyond its function. A tool built for protest has
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different weight than one built for commerce. We encourage preserving the
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narrative context of creative works — the why, not just the what.
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### 3. Transparency with automated systems
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When code is processed by AI training pipelines, content aggregators, or
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automated transformation tools, we expect transparency about that use. Not
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as a restriction, but as a norm: if you use someone's work to train a model,
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say so.
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### 4. Provenance is permanence
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We encourage contributors to sign their work cryptographically. Not because
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we distrust each other, but because timestamped, signed attribution creates
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a permanent record that no one can dispute. Your work is yours, provably.
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### 5. Inclusivity in practice
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We welcome contributions from all people regardless of background, identity,
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experience level, or geography. We recognise that the global open source
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community includes people for whom English is not a first language, who work
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in different legal jurisdictions, and who bring different cultural contexts
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to their work.
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### 6. Sustainability
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We encourage projects to consider the environmental and social sustainability
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of their software. This includes energy efficiency, accessibility, and
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long-term maintainability.
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## Adoption
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To adopt this Covenant, add the following to your project's README:
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```markdown
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This project follows the [Palimpsest Community Covenant](https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license/blob/main/PALIMPSEST-COVENANT.md).
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```
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## Enforcement
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This Covenant is enforced socially, not legally. Projects may choose to
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reference it in their CONTRIBUTING guidelines, codes of conduct, or
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community documentation. Violations are addressed through community
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discussion, not litigation.
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## Versioning
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This Covenant is versioned independently of the Palimpsest-MPL License.
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The current version is 1.0. Future versions will be published by the
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Palimpsest Stewardship Council.
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## Acknowledgements
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This Covenant was inspired by the Contributor Covenant, the Hippocratic
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License discussion, and the broader conversation about ethical open source.
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It takes the position that values belong in community norms, not in license
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terms — preserving both legal clarity and moral purpose.
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---
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*Palimpsest Community Covenant v1.0*
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*Published by the Palimpsest Stewardship Council, 2026*
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*https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license*

‎legal/PALIMPSEST-MPL-2.0.txt‎

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SPDX-License-Identifier: PMPL-2.0-or-later
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SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Palimpsest Stewardship Council
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================================================================================
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PALIMPSEST-MPL LICENSE VERSION 2.0
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================================================================================
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File-level copyleft with strengthened attribution and provenance
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Based on Mozilla Public License 2.0
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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PREAMBLE
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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This License extends the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) with provisions
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for strengthened attribution and cryptographic provenance. The base MPL-2.0
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terms apply except where explicitly modified below.
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Like a palimpsest manuscript where each layer builds upon what came before,
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this license ensures that each contributor's work remains visible and
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attributable, even as the software evolves.
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This License imposes no restrictions on the field of endeavor, use, or
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purpose of the Covered Software. It is intended to be compatible with the
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Open Source Definition.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 1: BASE LICENSE
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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This License incorporates the full text of Mozilla Public License 2.0 by
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reference. The complete MPL-2.0 text is available at:
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https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/
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All terms, conditions, and definitions from MPL-2.0 apply except where
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explicitly modified below.
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Where this License and MPL-2.0 conflict, this License takes precedence.
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Where this License is silent, MPL-2.0 applies.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 2: ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.1. "Provenance Metadata"
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means attribution information attached to or associated with Covered
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Software, including but not limited to: author identities, timestamps,
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modification history, SPDX headers, and cryptographic signatures.
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2.2. "Attribution Notice"
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means any copyright notice, author name, SPDX-License-Identifier,
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SPDX-FileCopyrightText, or Provenance Metadata present in or
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associated with Covered Software.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 3: STRENGTHENED ATTRIBUTION
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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In addition to the notice requirements of MPL-2.0 Section 3.4:
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3.1. Attribution Preservation
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You must not strip, alter, or obscure Attribution Notices from Covered
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Software. This includes:
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(a) copyright headers in source files;
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(b) SPDX-License-Identifier and SPDX-FileCopyrightText lines;
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(c) author information in package manifests (Cargo.toml, package.json,
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mix.exs, or equivalent); and
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(d) Provenance Metadata where present.
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3.2. Derivative Work Attribution
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When creating a Larger Work that incorporates Covered Software, You
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must include a notice in Your Larger Work that identifies the Covered
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Software and its Contributors, in a location reasonably likely to be
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seen by recipients (e.g., a NOTICE file, an "About" screen, or
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documentation).
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3.3. Automated Processing
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If You process Covered Software using automated tools (including but
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not limited to AI training, content aggregation, or code generation),
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You must preserve Attribution Notices in the processed output where
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technically feasible, or provide attribution in accompanying
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documentation.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 4: PROVENANCE (OPTIONAL)
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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4.1. Cryptographic Signatures
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Contributors may sign their Contributions using cryptographic
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signatures. This License recognizes but does not require such
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signatures.
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4.2. Signature Preservation
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If cryptographic signatures are present in Covered Software, You must
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preserve them in all distributions. You must not forge, alter, or
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misrepresent the origin of signatures.
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4.3. Algorithm Recommendations
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Contributors are encouraged (but not required) to use post-quantum
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cryptographic algorithms for long-term provenance. Recommended
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algorithms include ML-DSA (FIPS 204), SLH-DSA (FIPS 205), and
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Ed25519 for current use.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 5: GOVERNANCE
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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5.1. Stewardship Council
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This License is maintained by the Palimpsest Stewardship Council, which
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may issue clarifications, interpretive guidance, and future versions.
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5.2. Version Selection
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You may use Covered Software under this version of the License or any
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later version published by the Palimpsest Stewardship Council.
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5.3. Community Covenant
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Projects using this License are encouraged (but not required) to adopt
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the Palimpsest Community Covenant, which provides ethical guidelines
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for responsible use. The Covenant is a separate document and is not
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part of this License.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION 6: COMPATIBILITY
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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6.1. MPL-2.0 Compatibility
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Covered Software under this License may be combined with software
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under MPL-2.0. In such combinations, the MPL-2.0 terms apply to the
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MPL-2.0 files, and this License applies to the PMPL-2.0 files.
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6.2. Secondary Licenses
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The Secondary License provisions of MPL-2.0 Section 3.3 apply to
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this License. The following licenses are designated as Secondary
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Licenses: GNU General Public License v2.0 or later, GNU Lesser
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General Public License v2.1 or later, GNU Affero General Public
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License v3.0 or later.
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6.3. Relicensing
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You may not relicense Covered Software under a license that does not
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preserve the attribution requirements of Section 3.
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================================================================================
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END OF PALIMPSEST-MPL LICENSE VERSION 2.0
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================================================================================
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For the Community Covenant: PALIMPSEST-COVENANT.md
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For provenance tooling: https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-plasma
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For questions: https://github.com/hyperpolymath/palimpsest-license

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