Show HN: Total Reciprocity Public License (trplfoundation.org)

The Total Reciprocity Public License (TRPL) v1.0 (Nov 2025) is an experimental, high-reciprocity copyleft license explicitly designed to close SaaS, API and code‑generation loopholes in traditional open‑source licensing. It declares API interactions and "Functional Output" — e.g., generated source, compiled binaries, AI model architectures, training data and final weights — to be derivative works. Anything deployed or functionally coupled (via its new "Intimate Communication" clause) must have the corresponding source made available to remote users, organization members, and the public. TRPL is therefore built for the cloud/API/AI era: training or using TRPL code in models requires releasing model weights and training recipes when deployed; using a TRPL service in a proprietary microservice makes the calling software part of a "Combined Work" subject to TRPL. Key technical implications: the license distinguishes Functional Output (must be open) from Content Output (user-owned media like music, art, text, unless it embeds program code). It mandates "Installation Information" for devices, forbids additional restrictions (e.g., patent or non‑commercial limits), and allows commercial sale only if full source is provided. TRPL’s aggressive scope will likely deter closed‑source SaaS/model deployments that depend on TRPL code and could provoke legal and compatibility disputes with existing licenses, so adoption and enforcement are expected to be contentious within the AI/ML ecosystem.