[JBlaak]

What this changes

A concrete proposal for #49, based on Sander's preference for CC BY 4.0 and MIT, with four additions the issue didn't cover:

• Text (spec/, proposals/, README, other prose): CC BY 4.0. A modified or translated copy has to say it was changed, and must not present itself as the standard.
• Registry (registry/): CC0. Field IDs, scales and units get copied into closed-source code as constants, and that should never raise a question about attribution.
• Code (python/, fixtures): MIT. Compatible with GPL-3.0 projects like OpenRowingMonitor, and closed-source vendors don't have to publish their implementations.
• Patents: a royalty-free commitment covering claims that implementing the standard cannot avoid. Neither MIT nor Apache 2.0 covers the spec. Apache's patent grant only covers the contributed code, so the MIT-vs-Apache choice doesn't settle the patent question.
• Contributions: inbound = outbound. Each contribution is accepted under the licence of the path it lands in. This is now stated in the PR template.
• Copyright holder: "The Rowing Data Standard contributors", not MoveLab. This matches the neutrality section and survives a move to RITA without relicensing.
• Garmin: a trademark and non-endorsement notice. The repository doesn't include or redistribute the FIT SDK.

Files: LICENSE.md (the terms), LICENSES/ (the full MIT, CC BY 4.0 and CC0 texts), the Licensing section and status table in the README, a licence line in the spec header, and pyproject.toml (UNLICENSED → MIT).

Before this can merge

• Every existing contributor has to agree, because each holds copyright in their own work. Please confirm on this PR: @sanderroosendaal (original text), @JaapvanEkris, @JBlaak.
• Each participant should run the patent paragraph past their employer's counsel. It's the part most likely to need changes.
• Someone should check the current FIT Protocol License for anything relevant to third-party specs that use developer fields.

Class of change

• Editorial
• Substantive
• Structural
• Repository plumbing only

Links

• Issue: We need to decide on the License #49
• Proposal: —

Compatibility

• No
• Yes

Checklist

• One logical change
• Version number in spec/FIT_STANDARD.md not changed

Not legal advice.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[JBlaak]

We need to make sure we're on the same page of this, I want Michaels' input on this before merging, he hasn't accepted the invite to this repo just yet, hence the creation of a draft.

[JaapvanEkris]

I agree, and I am willing to contribute our TypeScript implementation as well. It is a bit more elaborate as it also records HR, HRV, Garmin laps, splits and the workoutplan, but we can strip that.

[JBlaak]

@JaapvanEkris it would be awesome if you could open a pull request! If you mention this pull request as a requirement to merge your submission I'll hold off on merging.