Repo: CC BY 4.0 for the text, CC0 for the registry, MIT for the code

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

@@ -40,3 +40,7 @@ say what breaks and for whom.
 - [ ] Version number in `spec/FIT_STANDARD.md` **not** changed — versions are
       assigned at release
 - [ ] Implementation evidence linked, for anything that changes file contents
+
+By opening this pull request I contribute under the licence of each path I
+change, and agree to the patent commitment, both as set out in
+[`LICENSE.md`](../LICENSE.md).

LICENSE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Licensing
+
+Copyright © 2026 The Rowing Data Standard contributors.
+
+The repository is under three licences, by kind of content. Each one allows
+commercial use, and none of them requires you to publish your own source code.
+
+| What | Paths | Licence |
+|---|---|---|
+| The field ID registry | `registry/` | [CC0 1.0](LICENSES/CC0-1.0.txt): no rights reserved, no attribution required |
+| The specification and other prose | `spec/`, `proposals/`, `README.md` and other documentation | [CC BY 4.0](LICENSES/CC-BY-4.0.txt) |
+| Example implementations, tests and fixtures | `python/` and any other implementation directory | [MIT](LICENSES/MIT.txt) |
+
+**Why the registry is CC0.** Field IDs, names, scales and units end up as
+constants in implementations, open and closed source alike. Copying them should
+never raise a question about attribution.
+
+**Attribution under CC BY 4.0.** Credit "The Rowing Data Standard contributors",
+link to this repository, and say whether you changed the text. A modified or
+translated copy must not present itself as the Rowing Data Standard itself.
+
+## Patents
+
+Contributors agree that any patent claim they or their employer hold, which an
+implementation cannot avoid infringing when it follows this standard, is
+available royalty-free to everyone implementing the standard. The licences
+above cover copyright only, so this commitment fills the gap for the standard
+itself.
+
+## Contributions
+
+Anything you contribute is accepted under the licence of the path it lands in,
+as listed above. Opening a pull request confirms you have the right to make the
+contribution on those terms, and that you agree to the patent commitment.
+
+## Trademarks
+
+Garmin and FIT are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. This standard
+uses the FIT format's developer fields but is not affiliated with Garmin or
+endorsed by it. This repository does not include or redistribute the Garmin FIT
+SDK.
+
+*Not legal advice. Have your own counsel review these terms.*

LICENSES/CC0-1.0.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+Creative Commons Legal Code
+
+CC0 1.0 Universal
+
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+    LEGAL SERVICES. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE AN
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+    PROVIDED HEREUNDER, AND DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM
+    THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION OR WORKS PROVIDED
+    HEREUNDER.
+
+Statement of Purpose
+
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+
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+"License"). The License shall be deemed effective as of the date CC0 was
+applied by Affirmer to the Work. Should any part of the License for any
+reason be judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, such
+partial invalidity or ineffectiveness shall not invalidate the remainder
+of the License, and in such case Affirmer hereby affirms that he or she
+will not (i) exercise any of his or her remaining Copyright and Related
+Rights in the Work or (ii) assert any associated claims and causes of
+action with respect to the Work, in either case contrary to Affirmer's
+express Statement of Purpose.
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+
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+    this CC0 or use of the Work.

LICENSES/MIT.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 The Rowing Data Standard contributors
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.

README.md

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ it is provisional and open to change:
 | The specification text | **Draft v0.1** — not ratified |
 | Field IDs, scales and units | Proposed; may be renumbered or redefined |
 | Governance | **Undecided** — a small named editorial team, an open-source project, or open participation with named editors. The group's first decision |
-| Licensing | **Undecided** — no licence is granted yet, see [Licensing](#licensing) |
+| Licensing | CC BY 4.0 for the text, CC0 for the registry, MIT for the code. See [Licensing](#licensing) |
 | Where this repository ultimately lives | In progress — RITA adoption under active discussion, see [Hosting](#hosting-and-neutrality) |
 
 Do not build a shipping product against this text and expect it to hold. If you
@@ -115,15 +115,19 @@ not.
 
 ## Licensing
 
-**Unresolved, and it affects contributors.** There is deliberately no `LICENSE`
-file yet: the v0.1 text originates with Sander Roosendaal, and relicensing
-someone's document is not a call the repository host makes quietly.
+The text, the registry and the code are each under a different licence. All
+three allow commercial use, and none of them requires you to open-source your
+implementation:
 
-Until it is settled, nobody has a granted right to redistribute or translate the
-text, and no contributor licence is being asked for or granted. That is tolerable
-for a draft among participants and not tolerable for a published standard, so it
-needs deciding early. If it is a problem for you or your employer, say so on an
-issue and hold your contribution.
+- **Specification and other prose**: [CC BY 4.0](LICENSES/CC-BY-4.0.txt).
+  Copy, translate and adapt it, with attribution.
+- **Field ID registry**: [CC0 1.0](LICENSES/CC0-1.0.txt). Copy IDs into code
+  without attribution.
+- **Example implementations**: [MIT](LICENSES/MIT.txt).
+
+Contributors also commit to royalty-free licensing of any patent claim that
+implementing the standard cannot avoid. [`LICENSE.md`](LICENSE.md) gives the
+full terms, how to contribute under them, and the Garmin trademark notice.
 
 ## Hosting and neutrality
 

python/pyproject.toml

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 description = "Draft Python implementation of the Rowing Data Standard (Garmin FIT developer fields)."
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
-license = { text = "UNLICENSED" }
+license = { text = "MIT" }
 dependencies = [
     "fit-tool==0.9.14",
     "fitparse==1.2.0",

spec/FIT_STANDARD.md

@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@
 
 **Version:** 0.1 — draft, not ratified  
 **Based on:** v1.2 (3 August 2026)  
-**Application ID:** `89e86158-6d47-5c98-9d46-7d29437f27b9` (UUID v5 from DNS:rowingdata)
+**Application ID:** `89e86158-6d47-5c98-9d46-7d29437f27b9` (UUID v5 from DNS:rowingdata)  
+**Licence:** © 2026 The Rowing Data Standard contributors, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See [`LICENSE.md`](../LICENSE.md).
 
 ## 1. Introduction