v0.1.0

Trademark and Conformance

The AI Control Architecture text is open, under CC BY 4.0. The name is not. This page explains the difference, and what it means to say something conforms to the AI Control Architecture.

Why the name is handled separately

A shared reference is only useful if its name means one thing. If anyone could label any product or document "AI Control Architecture" or call it "ACA-certified", the name would stop being a reliable signal and the open license would defeat its own purpose.

So the text and the name are licensed differently:

The text            → open, CC BY 4.0, use and adapt freely, including commercially
The name and marks  → reserved, used under the rules below

"AI Control Architecture", "ACA", and any conformance or certification marks are trademarks associated with the project and stewarded by Neo Control (neocontrol.ai).

What you may do

  • Use, copy, adapt, and redistribute the text, including in commercial products and services, under CC BY 4.0.
  • State factually that your product, service, or assessment "is based on", "references", "maps to", or "implements" the AI Control Architecture, with attribution and a link to aicontrolarchitecture.org.
  • Name specific requirements by their identifiers (for example, ACA-12-02) when describing what you cover.
  • Build commercial tools, assessments, and offerings on top of the architecture.

What you may not do without permission

  • Use "AI Control Architecture", "ACA", or a confusingly similar name as the name of your product, service, or organization.
  • Claim to be "certified", "accredited", "approved", or "endorsed" by the AI Control Architecture or Neo Control, or use a conformance or certification mark, unless a separate written agreement grants it.
  • Present your own materials as the official standard, or use the name or marks in a way that implies affiliation or endorsement that does not exist.

Attribution under CC BY 4.0 does not, by itself, create affiliation, certification, or endorsement.

Conformance

"Conformance" is a factual claim about a specific AI use case, not a badge. A use case conforms to the AI Control Architecture at a given risk tier when:

  • it has been classified and risk-tiered per the architecture;
  • every normative requirement (ACA-<pillar>-<n>) applicable to that tier is met; and
  • each such control is supported by evidence at or above the boundary source the requirement calls for (Declared, Evidenced, Verified, or Enforced).

Because conformance is per use case and per tier, a claim should always name both, for example: "This deployment meets the Tier 2 requirements of the AI Control Architecture, evidenced." A blanket "we are ACA compliant" is not a meaningful claim.

A formal conformance or certification program, and any use of conformance marks, is offered separately. For permission to use the name or marks, or to discuss conformance assessment, contact the stewards at neocontrol.ai.

Version 0.1.0 · Architecture licensed under CC BY 4.0 · Name and marks reserved · Stewarded by Neo Control · neocontrol.ai