Human-Generated Content License

When you use the --human flag with gith commit, your content is automatically protected with a specialized license designed for human-generated content.

What the License Provides

The human-generated content license automatically:

  • ✅ Certifies content as entirely human-generated
  • 🚫 Prohibits AI training use without explicit permission
  • 📄 Enables redistribution with license preservation
  • 🔍 Provides verification through gith's tracking system

License Text

The complete license is automatically created in your repository as LICENSE-HUMAN:

HUMAN-GENERATED CONTENT LICENSE

This content was created entirely by humans without AI assistance.

PERMITTED:
- Use, copy, modify, distribute for any purpose
- Commercial and non-commercial use

PROHIBITED:
- Training AI models without explicit written permission
- Claiming AI generated this content

REQUIRED:
- Preserve this license notice in redistributions
- Maintain human-generation certification

How It Works

Automatic Application

When you run gith commit --human, the license is applied through:

  1. Commit Trailers: Added to your commit message

    Human-Flag: true
License: HUMAN-GENERATED, NO AI TRAINING

  2. License File: LICENSE-HUMAN created in repository root

  3. Manifest Tracking: Recorded in .gith/human_manifest.json

The license provides:

  • Clear Intent: Explicitly states human-only generation
  • Permission Scope: Defines what users can and cannot do
  • AI Training Protection: Specifically prohibits training use
  • Redistribution Requirements: Ensures license preservation

Practical Implications

For Developers

What you can do:

  • Use licensed content in any project (commercial or non-commercial)
  • Modify and redistribute with proper attribution
  • Build upon human-generated components

What you must do:

  • Preserve license notices when redistributing
  • Maintain certification of human generation
  • Respect the original license terms

For AI Companies

Explicitly prohibited:

  • Training models on human-certified content without permission
  • Scraping repositories for training data that includes licensed content
  • Using certified human content in datasets

To obtain permission:

  • Contact repository owners directly
  • Negotiate explicit written agreements
  • Respect developer intent regarding AI training

Customization

Custom License Text

You can customize the license by editing LICENSE-HUMAN after running gith init-tracking:

# Initialize with default license
gith init-tracking

# Customize the license text
nano LICENSE-HUMAN

# Future commits will reference your custom license
gith commit --human -m "First commit with custom license"

Project-Specific Terms

Add project-specific licensing terms:

# Add additional terms to LICENSE-HUMAN
cat >> LICENSE-HUMAN << 'EOF'

ADDITIONAL TERMS:
- Attribution required in derivative works
- Commercial use requires notification to authors
- Research use permitted with citation
EOF

Integration Examples

In README Files

Document your licensing approach:

## Human-Generated Content

This project uses `gith` to track and license human-generated content.

- View certified human contributions: `gith list-human`
- Licensed under HUMAN-GENERATED CONTENT LICENSE
- See LICENSE-HUMAN for full terms

In Contributing Guidelines

Set expectations for contributors:

## Contributing

When contributing original work:
- Use `gith commit --human` for human-generated content
- Regular commits for AI-assisted work are welcome
- All human-certified content falls under our human-generation license

Enforceability

The license provides:

  • Clear Notice: Explicit human-generation claims
  • Specific Prohibitions: Targeted at AI training use
  • Standard Terms: Based on established licensing patterns

Compliance

To respect licensed content:

  • Check for gith tracking in repositories you use
  • Honor license terms when redistributing
  • Seek permission for AI training use
  • Maintain attributions in derivative works

Liability

The license includes standard disclaimers:

  • Content provided "as is"
  • No warranty of fitness for purpose
  • Limited liability for use

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the license after committing?

The license is embedded in commit history and should not be changed retroactively. You can:

  • Customize future commits by editing LICENSE-HUMAN
  • Add clarifying documentation
  • Contact legal counsel for significant changes

Does this affect standard software licenses?

No. The human-generation license works alongside:

  • MIT, Apache, GPL licenses for code
  • Creative Commons for documentation
  • Project-specific licenses

What about collaborative contributions?

For team contributions:

  • Each contributor certifies their own content
  • Mixed commits can include multiple certifications
  • Team policies should define human-generation standards
  • Copyright remains with original authors
  • License grants permissions for use and redistribution
  • Human certification adds additional protections
  • Standard copyright law still applies

Verification and Compliance

Verifying Human-Generated Content

# Check if repository uses gith
ls -la .gith/

# View human-certified commits
gith list-human --commits-only

# Examine commit details
git show --show-signature <commit-hash>

Compliance Scanning

For automated compliance checking:

#!/bin/bash
# Check for human-generated content licensing
if [ -f "LICENSE-HUMAN" ]; then
    echo "Repository contains human-generated content license"
    gith list-human --commits-only | wc -l | xargs echo "Human commits:"
else
    echo "No human-generation licensing detected"
fi

The human-generated content license provides a clear, enforceable framework for protecting authentic human contributions in the age of AI-assisted development.