# VelaClaw Contributor License Agreement (CLA)
**Version 1.0 — February 2026**
**VelaClaw Labs**
---
## Purpose
This Contributor License Agreement ("CLA") clarifies the intellectual
property rights granted by contributors to VelaClaw Labs. This agreement
protects both contributors and users of the VelaClaw project.
By submitting a contribution (pull request, patch, issue with code, or any
other form of code submission) to the VelaClaw repository, you agree to the
terms of this CLA.
---
## 1. Definitions
- **"Contribution"** means any original work of authorship, including any
modifications or additions to existing work, submitted to VelaClaw Labs
for inclusion in the VelaClaw project.
- **"You"** means the individual or legal entity submitting a Contribution.
- **"VelaClaw Labs"** means the maintainers and organization responsible
for the VelaClaw project at https://github.com/velaclaw-labs/velaclaw.
---
## 2. Grant of Copyright License
You grant VelaClaw Labs and recipients of software distributed by VelaClaw
Labs a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free,
irrevocable copyright license to:
- Reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly
perform, sublicense, and distribute your Contributions and derivative
works under **both the MIT License and the Apache License 2.0**.
---
## 3. Grant of Patent License
You grant VelaClaw Labs and recipients of software distributed by VelaClaw
Labs a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free,
irrevocable patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell,
import, and otherwise transfer your Contributions.
This patent license applies only to patent claims licensable by you that
are necessarily infringed by your Contribution alone or in combination with
the VelaClaw project.
**This protects you:** if a third party files a patent claim against
VelaClaw that covers your Contribution, your patent license to the project
is not revoked.
---
## 4. You Retain Your Rights
This CLA does **not** transfer ownership of your Contribution to VelaClaw
Labs. You retain full copyright ownership of your Contribution. You are
free to use your Contribution in any other project under any license.
---
## 5. Original Work
You represent that:
1. Each Contribution is your original creation, or you have sufficient
rights to submit it under this CLA.
2. Your Contribution does not knowingly infringe any third-party patent,
copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property right.
3. If your employer has rights to intellectual property you create, you
have received permission to submit the Contribution, or your employer
has signed a corporate CLA with VelaClaw Labs.
---
## 6. No Trademark Rights
This CLA does not grant you any rights to use the VelaClaw name,
trademarks, service marks, or logos. See TRADEMARK.md for trademark policy.
---
## 7. Attribution
VelaClaw Labs will maintain attribution to contributors in the repository
commit history and NOTICE file. Your contributions are permanently and
publicly recorded.
---
## 8. Dual-License Commitment
All Contributions accepted into the VelaClaw project are licensed under
both:
- **MIT License** — permissive open-source use
- **Apache License 2.0** — patent protection and stronger IP guarantees
This dual-license model ensures maximum compatibility and protection for
the entire contributor community.
---
## 9. How to Agree
By opening a pull request or submitting a patch to the VelaClaw repository,
you indicate your agreement to this CLA. No separate signature is required
for individual contributors.
For **corporate contributors** (submitting on behalf of a company or
organization), please open an issue titled "Corporate CLA — [Company Name]"
and a maintainer will follow up.
---
## 10. Questions
If you have questions about this CLA, open an issue at:
https://github.com/velaclaw-labs/velaclaw/issues
---
*This CLA is based on the Apache Individual Contributor License Agreement
v2.0, adapted for the VelaClaw dual-license model.*
