Open source & intellectual property

1. Our position

Alin Li believes in open computing and in protecting the work it creates. Using open source generously and licensing our own work deliberately are not in conflict; both depend on knowing exactly which licence applies to what.

2. Our own materials

Our courses, training materials, browser games, simulations and brand belong to Alin Li OÜ. Content created for us by contractors is covered by a written assignment or licence, and our materials carry a copyright notice.

Clients receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for their own internal training use, unless a different arrangement is agreed in writing. See our terms.

3. Using open source responsibly

• We check the licence of every library, image, font or snippet before we use it.
• We keep the required copyright and licence notices and maintain a record of third-party credits.
• We take advice before distributing anything that includes copyleft components.
• We do not use non-commercial-only or unlicensed material in paid courses.

4. Governance, not just licences

When we design open-source platforms, we assess more than the licence name: governance model, trademark control, relicensing risk, community health, data portability and long-term maintainability. We prefer foundation-governed projects, such as those of the Apache Software Foundation, the Linux Foundation and the CNCF, where they meet the need. Company-led open-source projects may be used where justified, with documented safeguards against future licensing or roadmap changes.

We design around capabilities rather than single products, keep components replaceable, and review licences and governance before major upgrades or new adoptions.

5. What we own, and what we don’t

Alin Li OÜ owns its own internal deployments, tools and operating model. What we build for a client (configuration, code, integrations, rules, dashboards, documentation and data) is handed over to and owned by the client under the engagement agreement. We do not own upstream third-party open-source products or their trademarks, and we never present ourselves as if we do.

6. Student work and AI-assisted content

Projects created by students belong to them. We ask for written consent, from a parent or guardian for minors, before showcasing them. Where AI tools help produce content, we check the tool’s terms and review the output for third-party material before publishing.

Open source and licensing questions: Compliance@alinli.com. See also our open source page.