License
SGA-OIS is covered by two licenses, split by whether a file is something you read or something you run. This is the operative statement; Governance explains the reasoning behind the split.
The specification
Prose, JSON Schemas, worked examples.
CC BY 4.0
Redistribute, quote, translate, embed it in your own documentation, build on it commercially. Attribute SGA and name the license.
The conformance kit and tools
Everything under conformance/ and build/, and the SGA Engine.
Apache 2.0
Chosen over MIT for its express patent grant, because vendor legal review blocks on the patent question and Apache answers it in the license text.
The name and the mark
“SGA”, “SGA-OIS”, “SGA Certified”.
Reserved
Anyone may implement the standard and ship it. Only SGA may state that a product is SGA Certified — the control here is the mark, not the copyright. A product earns the mark by passing the conformance suite and reaching trust level A2 or higher, with its signature verified by SGA (what it means).
The file itself
Reproduced verbatim from LICENSE in the repository.
SGA-OIS — Simulated Golf Association Open Interoperability Standard
Copyright 2026 Simulated Golf Association
This repository is deliberately covered by two licenses. Which one applies
depends on whether a file is something you READ or something you RUN. The
reasoning behind the split is in GOVERNANCE.md; this file is the operative
statement of it.
THE SPECIFICATION — Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Full text: LICENSE-SPEC.txt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
spec/ the specification prose
spec/schema/ the JSON Schemas
integration/ the per-device worked examples
docs/ the generated specification site
README.md, GOVERNANCE.md
You may redistribute it, quote it, translate it, embed it in your own product
documentation, and build on it commercially. The one condition is attribution:
credit the Simulated Golf Association, name the license, and say if you changed
anything. The schemas are under this license too, so vendoring a schema file
into your source tree is fine and carries the same attribution.
THE CONFORMANCE KIT AND BUILD TOOLS — Apache License 2.0
Full text: LICENSE-CODE.txt https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
conformance/ the conformance kit, its fixtures and its tests
build/ the site and bundle build, including the --reproduce
check anyone can run against a published bundle
The SGA Engine, in its own repository, is under the same license.
Apache 2.0 rather than MIT for one specific reason: it carries an express
patent grant. Vendor legal review blocks on the patent question, and Apache
answers it in the license text where MIT leaves it open.
THE NAME AND THE CERTIFICATION MARK — reserved
Not licensed by either of the above.
"SGA", "SGA-OIS", "SGA Certified" and the certification mark remain the
property of the Simulated Golf Association.
Anyone may implement SGA-OIS. Anyone may ship it. Anyone may run the
conformance kit privately, before registering for anything. Only SGA may
state that a product is SGA Certified. A product earns the mark by passing
the conformance suite and attaining trust level A2 or higher, with its
signature verified by SGA. The control on this standard is the
mark, not the copyright — locking the copyright would defeat the
redistribution the standard exists to create.
ATTRIBUTION
SGA-OIS, © Simulated Golf Association, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
https://golfsga.com/sga-ois
No permission, registration or fee is required to read this specification,
implement it, run the conformance kit against your own build, or ship a
product that speaks it.