Introducing the VALOR License
Validator-Authorized License for Operator Rights
VALOR means “Validator-Authorized License for Operator Rights”
VALOR bifurcates smart contract code into two legally distinct artifacts — source code and deployed bytecode — and applies a different regime to each.
Source code remains all-rights-reserved.
Deployed bytecode is covered by a narrow, perpetual, irrevocable license granted automatically to every node operator on the applicable blockchain, limited strictly to the acts inherent in running a validator.
End-user interaction with deployed contracts requires no license at all — because end-users are using the smart contract on a SaaS basis through validators (the proper way of understanding most smart contract usage)
The result is a framework that lets a developer retain full control over smart contract source code (preventing unauthorized forks, redeployment, and derivative works) while affirmatively resolving the otherwise-ambiguous copyright status of validator execution — and doing so in a way that makes the deployed infrastructure legally durable, resistant to unilateral disruption, and stable across contentious chain forks.
This is considered a v 0.5. We are looking for feedback, coordination and support.