target-revenue/README.md

# target-revenue

**Status:** Concept and specification only (Stage 0). Not production legal text. Do not attach TRSL to production software yet.

The **Target Revenue Framework (TRF)** is a phased software monetization system: a defined development **Phase** accumulates **Development Credit** and **Remission Credit** against an immutable **Initial Target** until the **Milestone Release** automatically converts to a permissive **Future License** (MIT or Apache-2.0). A **Trust Service** publishes manifests, ledgers, extensions, and attestations as factual evidence — it does not decide conversion.

> Commercial beneficiaries fund the creation and early availability of a software improvement; once the declared target is satisfied, the governed release becomes permissively open source.

## Terminology guardrail

Before conversion, software under TRSL is **source-available** with commercial-use restrictions. It is **not** Open Source under the [OSI Open Source Definition](https://opensource.org/osd) (field-of-endeavour non-discrimination). After the Conversion Event, the Milestone Release is available under the declared OSI-style Future License.

| State | Accurate label |
| --- | --- |
| Pre-conversion, noncommercial | Source-available (permitted uses) |
| Pre-conversion, commercial | Commercially licensed / entitlement required |
| Post-conversion | Open source under Future License |

## Reading order

1. [`INTENT.md`](INTENT.md) — durable purpose and design principles  
2. [`SCOPE.md`](SCOPE.md) — what is in scope *now* vs later maturity  
3. [`spec/TargetRevenueLicenseConcept.md`](spec/TargetRevenueLicenseConcept.md) — normative concept draft (ultimate source; governs if it and the extracts below ever diverge)  
4. [`specs/ProductRequirementsDocument.md`](specs/ProductRequirementsDocument.md) — goals, FRs, roadmap  
5. [`specs/TechnicalSpecificationDocument.md`](specs/TechnicalSpecificationDocument.md) — schema field tables and boundaries  
6. [`specs/OpenQuestions-WorkingDefaults.md`](specs/OpenQuestions-WorkingDefaults.md) — provisional Stage 0 defaults  

Exploration transcript (non-normative): [`history/260728-InitialExploration.md`](history/260728-InitialExploration.md)  
Program assessment: [`history/260728-SWOT-Assessment.md`](history/260728-SWOT-Assessment.md)

## Normative documents (day-to-day reference)

Extracted and stabilized from the concept draft under `workplans/TREV-WP-0003-normative-core-extraction.md` (T01–T05 done; T06 human review still open — see that workplan). Use these for terminology, not the concept draft's prose, in ordinary implementation work:

| Document | Covers |
| --- | --- |
| [`specs/TargetRevenueFrameworkCore.md`](specs/TargetRevenueFrameworkCore.md) | Seven core terms, target formula, five-verb lifecycle, nine core rules, foundational invariants |
| [`specs/PhaseManifestSpecification.md`](specs/PhaseManifestSpecification.md) | Phase Manifest field tiers and validation rules |
| [`specs/TargetLedgerSpecification.md`](specs/TargetLedgerSpecification.md) | Ledger entry types, hash chain, Outstanding Target fold |
| [`specs/MonetizationExtensionSpecification.md`](specs/MonetizationExtensionSpecification.md) | Six-field extension contract, registered vs. canonical |

**Forbidden synonyms:** do not treat undifferentiated "revenue captured" as equivalent to Development Credit (see `CONTRIBUTING.md` § Terminology); do not call pre-conversion software "Open Source" (see the guardrail table above).

## Repository layout

| Path | Role |
| --- | --- |
| `INTENT.md` | Stable purpose (change rarely) |
| `SCOPE.md` | Living Stage 0 scope |
| `spec/` | Normative **concept** source (`TargetRevenueLicenseConcept.md`) |
| `specs/` | Product/tech specs, working defaults, and normative extracts (WP-0003) |
| `workplans/` | Active delivery plans |
| `history/` | Dated non-normative exploration and assessments |
| `examples/` | Golden Phase packages (`phase-001`, from WP-0002) |
| `schemas/` | Machine-readable JSON Schemas (WP-0002) |
| `src/target_revenue/` | Pure Python validators, hash chain, Outstanding Target fold, conversion detection (WP-0002) |
| `docs/adr/` | Architecture decisions; ADR-0001 (Stage 0 library stack) **accepted** 2026-07-29 |
| `specs/research/` | TRSL prior-art and legal-adjacent research (WP-0001) briefing `specs/TargetRevenueSourceLicense-Draft.md` |

**`spec/` vs `specs/`:** The concept document predates the plural `specs/` directory and remains under `spec/` so history and cross-references stay stable. New product/tech artifacts go under `specs/`. Do not move the concept file without a deliberate migration note.

## Active work

| Workplan | Focus |
| --- | --- |
| [TREV-WP-0001](workplans/TREV-WP-0001-license-prior-art-research.md) | Prior-art research (T01–T05 done) → non-binding TRSL draft skeleton (T06 ready for human review) |
| [TREV-WP-0002](workplans/TREV-WP-0002-trust-service-foundation.md) | Schemas, pure Outstanding Target fold, golden fixture — **finished** |
| [TREV-WP-0003](workplans/TREV-WP-0003-normative-core-extraction.md) | Extract stable normative core docs — T01–T05 done, T06 human review open |

Hub index: [`WORK-RECORDS.md`](WORK-RECORDS.md) · brief: [`.custodian-brief.md`](.custodian-brief.md)

## Stage 0 library (schemas, pure fold, validators)

WP-0002 delivers an **offline, dependency-light library** — not a hosted
Trust Service (`SCOPE.md` §3). It validates the schemas in `schemas/`,
computes the pure Outstanding Target fold, verifies the SHA-256 hash chain,
and checks Monetization Extension conformance.

```bash
pip install -e ".[dev]"
python3 -m pytest tests/            # 32 tests, no network required
python3 scripts/generate_golden_phase.py   # regenerate examples/phase-001/ledger.json
```

The implementation stack (Python, `jsonschema`, `pytest`, `hatchling`) is
recorded in [`docs/adr/ADR-0001-stage0-library-stack.md`](docs/adr/ADR-0001-stage0-library-stack.md),
**accepted 2026-07-29**.

## What this repo does not claim yet

- Final legal license text or enforceable TRSL  
- A running production Trust Service  
- A finalized degeneration formula (research + working defaults only)  
- That any real product Phase is governed by TRF today  

See [`SCOPE.md`](SCOPE.md) and [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md).

## License

Repository contents are under [MIT No Attribution](LICENSE) unless a file states otherwise. That is the license of *this repository*, not the Target Revenue Source License for third-party software.