Copyright and Licensing Policy

Version: 1.0
Date: 14 January 2026

Table of Contents

1. Purpose, status, and scope

This document describes the policy of Plimpton-322 with regard to copyright and licensing for publications issued by or on behalf of the organization.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• provide clarity on the reuse of content;
• distinguish between content and its form of publication;
• enable consistent application of open content licences;
• protect formal publications and fixed editions.

This policy applies to all publications issued by Plimpton-322, regardless of medium or carrier.

2. Definitions

2.1 Work (content)

The Work is the substantive core of a publication, consisting of:

• text;
• structure;
• reasoning and argumentation;
• conceptual organisation.

The Work is independent of layout, design, or carrier.

2.2 Edition (fixed version)

An Edition is a substantively fixed version of a Work:

• fixed on a specific date;
• substantively immutable;
• capable of being succeeded by a later edition.

Corrections or changes result in a new edition or are published separately as an erratum.

2.3 Representation (form of publication)

A Representation is a concrete realisation of an Edition, including:

• HTML presentation;
• PDF;
• EPUB;
• print-on-demand (POD);
• official translations.

Representations are form- and carrier-specific and are considered separate publications.

3. Copyright basis

Unless explicitly stated otherwise:

• copyright in the Work is held by Plimpton-322;
• this policy applies to all editions and representations fixed by Plimpton-322.

4. Licence on the Work (content)

4.1 Open content licence

The Work is licensed under:

Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This means that the Work may be:

• copied and distributed;
• adapted, reused, and translated;

provided that:

• proper attribution is given;
• the use is non-commercial;
• derivative works are distributed under the same licence.

4.2 Scope of the licence

This licence applies to the Work as content.
It does not automatically apply to specific representations or editions.

5. Licence on representations

5.1 Closed representation licence

Concrete representations of an Edition, including PDF files, EPUB files, print-on-demand editions, and official translations, are issued under a closed representation licence.

Without explicit permission, it is not permitted to:

• redistribute these representations;
• sell these representations;
• reissue these representations;
• create alternative representations that present themselves as an official edition.

6. Translations

6.1 Derivative translations

Translations of the Work are permitted under the open content licence, provided that:

• they are clearly marked as unofficial;
• no use is made of the official layout, design, or publication status;
• no confusion arises with editions fixed by Plimpton-322.

6.2 Official translations

Where Plimpton-322 publishes an official translation:

• it is considered the canonical representation of the relevant edition;
• alternative translations may not be presented as equivalent or substitutive;
• unofficial translations remain permitted, provided they are clearly marked as such.

7. Commercial use

Commercial use of:

• the Work;
• representations;
• derivative works;

is permitted only with explicit written permission from Plimpton-322.

8. Amendments to this policy

This policy may be revised. New versions are:

• dated;
• assigned a version number;
• published without retroactive effect.