ELICHASE Protocol

—— Version: 1.0 ——

Copyright © jointly held by protocol participants

Originating Author: Liu Chang

Version Date: May 21, 2025

Article 1: Scope of License and Applicable Subjects

This Agreement applies to software, firmware, hardware design files, interface specifications, drivers, and embedded systems governed under this Agreement (collectively referred to as “the Software/Hardware”).

You are permitted to freely use, copy, modify, combine, integrate, distribute, publish, deploy, sell, and sublicense the Software/Hardware for any lawful purpose, including but not limited to personal, commercial, research, or educational use.

This Agreement allows both closed-source and open-source distribution and does not require mandatory disclosure of source code.

Article 2: Compatibility Obligations

To maintain system stability and ecosystem interoperability, you must comply with the following compatibility requirements:

If you modify, extend, or integrate the Software/Hardware (hereinafter referred to as “Modified Products”), you must ensure functional or interface-level compatibility with the original version, such that it can coexist and operate within the same ecosystem.

You must clearly declare all modifications in the Modified Products, including but not limited to version number, author, change summary, or compatibility interface documentation.

You shall not impose any additional restrictions that are incompatible with this Agreement, particularly those that would prevent others from continuing to use, distribute, or modify the work based on this Agreement.

Article 3: Open Source and Closed Source Options

You may choose whether to open-source Modified Products. If you choose to open source, you may adopt any mainstream open-source license (such as MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL, etc.), provided that it does not violate the compatibility obligations of this Agreement.

If you choose closed-source distribution, you must still comply with the compatibility requirements and attribution requirements of this Agreement.

Article 4: Commercial Use Terms

You are free to use the Software/Hardware or its Modified Products for commercial purposes, including but not limited to: sales, subscriptions, OEM integration, cloud services, and device sales.

No license fee is required for commercial use, nor is disclosure of internal implementation required to the original author.

If you distribute a commercial product, it is recommended to state in your user agreement that:
“Some components of this product are licensed under the ELICHASE Protocol.”

Article 5: Rights Statement and Disclaimer

The Software/Hardware is provided “as is”, without any warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

This Agreement does not grant you any rights to patents, trademarks, or trade secrets unless explicitly granted in writing.

In no event shall the copyright holder or contributors be liable for any damages arising from the use or inability to use the Software/Hardware.

Article 6: Continuity and Termination of the Agreement

By using materials licensed under this Agreement, you are deemed to have accepted all its terms.

If you violate the compatibility or attribution obligations of this Agreement, your authorization will automatically terminate.

Any user who has obtained rights under this Agreement and has not violated it shall not be affected by the violations of others.

Article 7: Irrevocability of the Agreement (Protocol Freeze Mechanism)

After publication, this Agreement shall be regarded as a fixed version and shall not be altered or replaced by any individual or organization for any reason.

If the joint participants of the Agreement wish to propose changes in the future, they must publish a new complete version (e.g., “ELICHASE Protocol 2.0”), and:

• The continued applicability and legal effect of “ELICHASE Protocol 1.0” shall not be affected;

• Existing users of the original Agreement may continue to comply with this version without upgrading.

Article 8: Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

The interpretation and application of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the place of publication.

If no governing law is explicitly specified, international general principles of contract and technical interoperability practices shall apply.

Any disputes arising from this Agreement shall first be resolved through amicable negotiation between the parties.

If negotiation fails, the dispute shall be submitted to a competent court or arbitration institution at the place of origin of the Agreement.

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