Plain English Summary
Free for
Individuals, nonprofits, journalism organizations, governments, educational institutions, and businesses with annual revenue under USD $100,000. Research and development usage is free at any organization size.
Paid for
Commercial use above $100K annual revenue. Tiers range from Micro ($500/yr) to Global ($550,000/yr).
Always required
Display attribution: “Built on TIP Protocol by The AI Lab.” Preserve the NOTICE file in all distributions.
Conversion
This license converts to Apache License 2.0 on January 1, 2031. The NOTICE file requirement and trademark restrictions survive permanently.
1.Preamble
This License governs the TIP Protocol Reference Implementation authored by Dinesh Mendhe and owned by The AI Lab Intelligence Unobscured, Inc. (“The AI Lab”). The Protocol Specification is separately licensed under CC-BY 4.0 and is unaffected by this License.
The AI Lab holds the following principles:
- Open protocols create stronger ecosystems.
- Attribution is a structural truth, not a courtesy.
- Commercial enterprises building revenue on this technology should help sustain it.
- Individuals, journalists, nonprofits, and governments should never face a paywall to participate in a public-interest trust protocol.
2.Free Use, Who Qualifies
You qualify for Free Use if you are:
- An individual person (any income level).
- A business with annual revenue under USD $100,000.
- A nonprofit, NGO, or tax-exempt charity (any size).
- A university, college, or educational institution (any size).
- A government entity (any size).
- A journalism organization or individual journalist (any size), when used solely for editorial identity and provenance purposes.
- Using the Software only for internal research and development or testing (any organization size).
Free Use Rights
Free Use grants you the right to deploy TIP nodes, modify the Software, distribute to other Free Use users, and apply for VP accreditation, all at no charge.
3.Commercial License Requirement
Any use that does not qualify as Free Use requires a Commercial License. Contact licensing@theailab.org to obtain one.
| Tier | Annual Revenue | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | $100K – $250K | $500/yr |
| Seed | $250K – $500K | $1,100/yr |
| Starter | $500K – $5M | $2,750/yr |
| Growth | $5M – $25M | $8,250/yr |
| Business | $25M – $100M | $27,500/yr |
| Enterprise | $100M – $500M | $71,500/yr |
| Corporate | $500M – $2B | $165,000/yr |
| Strategic | $2B – $10B | $385,000/yr |
| Global | $10B+ | $550,000/yr |
The Commercial License includes a patent license for The AI Lab’s essential patent claims covering TIP Protocol inventions.
4.Attribution, Mandatory in All Cases
Every implementation, whether Free or Commercial, must display the following attribution:
“Built on TIP Protocol by The AI Lab Intelligence Unobscured, Inc. (theailab.org) | Licensed under TIPCL-1.0”
Acceptable formats:
Display the complete text above in your footer, About page, or Help page.
"Powered by TIP Protocol – theailab.org" with a hyperlink.
TIP Powered Mark with a hyperlink to theailab.org/tip.
Include the header X-Powered-By: TIP-Protocol/theailab.org in all API responses.
5.Notice File, Required in All Distributions
Include the following NOTICE file verbatim in all distributions of the Software:
TIP Protocol | Copyright 2026 The AI Lab Intelligence Unobscured, Inc. | Authored by Dinesh Mendhe theailab.org | Licensed under TIPCL-1.0 TIP™, AI Trust ID™, AI Trust Registry™ are trademarks of The AI Lab Intelligence Unobscured, Inc.
6.Restrictions, Absolute (Free and Commercial)
The following restrictions apply to all licensees, regardless of Free Use or Commercial status. You may not:
- Remove or alter the NOTICE file.
- Use TIP™, AI Trust ID™, AI Trust Registry™, or confusingly similar marks without a separate trademark license.
- Issue AI Trust ID™ Seals yourself. Seals are registry-issued only.
- Claim that The AI Lab endorses your product.
- Run a private fork claiming to be the TIP™ network.
- Sub-license commercial rights to third parties.
7.Conversion to Apache 2.0 (January 1, 2031)
On , this License converts to the Apache License 2.0. After that date, commercial use no longer requires a paid license.
SURVIVING PERMANENTLY AFTER CONVERSION
- NOTICE file preservation in all distributions.
- All trademark restrictions. TIP™ marks remain reserved.
- AI Trust ID™ Seal issuance remains registry-only.
- The genesis block persists as cryptographic fact, not as a license term.
ENDING AFTER CONVERSION
- Mandatory UI attribution display in running applications.
- Commercial license fee requirement.
- Copyleft on protocol core modifications.
8.Patents
Free Use includes a royalty-free patent license for compliant implementations. The Commercial License includes a broader patent license covering additional use cases.
Patent Termination
If you initiate patent infringement litigation against The AI Lab, your patent license under this agreement terminates immediately.
9.Governing Law
This License is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA. Disputes shall be resolved by arbitration administered by JAMS in Wilmington, Delaware.