Licensing

📝 Legal Overview

This project (including the ngeodesic framework, micro-lm tooling, and related research artifacts) is distributed under the Apache License 2.0.

Apache-2.0 is a permissive license that allows broad usage — including for commercial purposes — provided that attribution and license terms are followed.

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🔓 License Terms

• License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (January 2004).

• Source: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

• Permissions: Free use, modification, distribution, and commercial deployment.

• Conditions: Must include attribution, license copy, and notices.

• Warranty: Software is provided “as is,” without warranties or conditions.

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⚖️ Patent Grant

Summary

• Tier-1 / Tier-2 (Community Edition): Open-source under Apache 2.0. Includes WDD on SBERT embeddings. → Free to use, modify, and redistribute for research, prototyping, and early-stage applications.

• Tier-3 (Enterprise Edition): Proprietary. Applies WDD directly to large language model (LLM) latents. → Reserved for enterprise use, commercial licensing required.

• Patents: WDD and sidecar inventions are protected by issued/pending patents. The Apache patent grant applies only to Tier-1/Tier-2 implementations in this repository.

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📑 Related Filings

The following non-provisional patents have been filed by DeFiMind.ai / ngeodesic.ai relating to this codebase and underlying theory:

1. Warp–Detect–Denoise (WDD) Framework for Deterministic AI Reasoning

2. Micro-LM Sidecar Architecture for Domain-Specific AI

3. Policy-Guided Verification for Automated Financial Operations

4. Trace Manifold Shaping and Abstain Logic in Lightweight LMs

_See the PATENTS file in this repository for the authoritative list and updates._

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❓ FAQ

Q: Can I use ngeodesic / micro-lm code in my own research or projects? A: Yes. Apache-2.0 grants broad rights for academic, personal, and commercial use, provided you comply with attribution and license terms.

Q: Can I modify the code and redistribute it? A: Yes. You may fork, extend, or redistribute, provided you keep attribution and license notices intact.

Q: Can I build commercial products using this code? A: Yes. Apache-2.0 explicitly permits commercial usage. The associated patents are licensed under Apache-2.0 Section 3, so you are free to practice them within the scope of this repository.

Q: Are there restrictions because patents are attached to this code? A: Yes. While you receive a royalty-free patent license under Apache-2.0, it is conditional. If you violate license terms (e.g., strip attribution, fail to comply with notices, or file patent litigation against this project), your patent license automatically terminates. You also cannot file competing patents on the same inventions already covered (e.g., WDD, Micro-LM sidecars).

Q: If the code is licensed under Apache-2.0, why has ngeodesic.ai also filed non-provisional patents? A: The patents exist to protect the core inventions (WDD, Micro-LM sidecars, trace shaping, abstain logic) and prevent misuse.

Q: Can I remove or rebrand the WDD (Warp–Detect–Denoise) IP from the code? A: No. WDD is protected by patents filed by ngeodesic.ai. You may use it under the ngeodesic.ai Apache-2.0 license and associated patent grant, but you cannot strip attribution, rebrand the invention, or attempt to re-patent it. The license grants open usage rights, not removal of the underlying IP.

Under the ngeodesic.ai Apache-2.0 license and associated patent grant, anyone may use the code — including for commercial purposes — as long as they comply with attribution and license terms.

However, these inventions cannot be stripped out, rebranded, or re-patented by others. The patents ensure that the IP remains linked to ngeodesic.ai, while still allowing broad open-source use.

In practice, this means the community can innovate freely, but exclusivity or integration of this IP into a proprietary stack would require a direct agreement with ngeodesic.ai.

Q: Can I repackage the code and close-source it? A: You may incorporate it into closed-source systems, but you must comply with attribution and license obligations.

Q: Can I claim patent rights over the same inventions (e.g., WDD, Micro-LM)? A: No. These concepts are already covered by non-provisional patents filed by ngeodesic.ai. You cannot file competing patents or claim exclusivity.

Q: Can I challenge the patents or sue over infringement while still using the code? A: No. If you initiate patent litigation alleging that this software infringes, your Apache-2.0 patent license terminates immediately (defensive termination clause).

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✅ Summary

By using this software, you benefit from:

• Open-source freedom (Apache-2.0).

• Patent protection for core contributions.

• Clear guidelines on permissible and impermissible uses.

This ensures that both the research and product ecosystems around NGF, micro-LMs, and DeFiPy can flourish with strong foundations for open innovation and community adoption.