Open Arsenal

A composable system for attribution-first design.

Layered Provenance Framework (LPF) is an open AGPL-3.0+ specification for building attribution-first systems where digital origin, licensing visibility, and contributor recognition are treated as structured runtime components rather than static metadata. It introduces a layered architecture that cleanly separates rendering, verification, and compliance so each concern can evolve independently without collapsing into a single enforcement mechanism. This design allows LPF to function as both a technical framework and a governance model for how attribution is represented across modern web systems.

At its core, LPF defines three distinct layers: an AGPL-licensed rendering engine responsible for generating consistent attribution UI elements, an optional a Specification Branding License (SBL) -based compliance API that provides organization-level licensing and verification services, and a lightweight client-side embed system that displays attribution without enforcing restrictions or blocking functionality. This separation ensures that the open-source layer remains fully usable and self-contained, while the commercial layer operates independently as an optional governance and licensing service.

LPF’s features focus on composability, transparency, and non-coercive design. It supports standardized attribution badges, configurable provenance metadata, framework-agnostic embedding, and deterministic rendering across environments. It also enables optional enterprise capabilities such as license verification, domain scoping, and compliance reporting through the SBL layer. Across all components, LPF enforces a strict principle that attribution must remain visible and consistent while never relying on runtime blocking or restrictive enforcement mechanisms.