The COSS Stewardship Body: Guiding the Standard

The integrity, evolution, and effective governance of the Contriboss (COSS) Mark and its associated Brand Principles are entrusted to The COSS Stewardship Body (referred to herein as “the Stewardship Body”). This entity serves as the central guardian of the COSS initiative’s mission and values.

Our Purpose and Mandate

The COSS Stewardship Body is established with the primary purpose of ensuring that the COSS Mark remains a trusted and reliable symbol of software projects committed to neutrality, interoperability, universal access, and ethical development. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where the COSS standard can thrive and evolve responsibly.

Key Responsibilities

The Stewardship Body holds several key responsibilities:

Stewarding the COSS Mark and Brand Principles: We maintain and protect the COSS Mark (name and logos) as a recognized standard. We are responsible for the “COSS Brand Usage Guidelines,” including the ongoing relevance and clarity of the COSS Principles.

Overseeing Brand Compliance and Verification: The Stewardship Body will establish and manage processes for projects wishing to use the COSS Mark, including any verification procedures to ensure adherence to the COSS Principles.

Facilitating Community Engagement: We aim to foster an active and engaged community around the COSS initiative. This includes seeking input on the evolution of the COSS Standard and ensuring transparent communication regarding its governance.

Promoting the COSS Standard: The Stewardship Body will work to promote the understanding and adoption of the COSS standard across the technology industry, highlighting its benefits for developers, users, and the broader ecosystem, especially in areas like Artificial Intelligence.

Ensuring Neutral Governance: A core commitment is to govern the COSS initiative in a manner that reflects its principles of neutrality and avoids control by any single entity or narrow set of interests.

Governance Model: A Commitment to Decentralized and Collective Oversight

The COSS Stewardship Body is envisioned to operate under a governance model that emphasizes collective oversight and community participation, such as a consortium of diverse stakeholders, a non-profit foundation with a multi-stakeholder board, or a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure (focused on governance principles rather than cryptocurrency aspects).

The precise legal and operational structure of the Stewardship Body will be designed to:

Prevent undue influence from any single company, individual, or faction.

Ensure transparent decision-making processes.

Provide mechanisms for community input and representation in the evolution of the COSS standard.

Maintain a clear focus on the long-term health and integrity of the COSS initiative.

As the COSS initiative matures, further details regarding the formal structure, membership, and governance processes of The COSS Stewardship Body will be made publicly available. Our foundational commitment is to a model that embodies the open and collaborative spirit of COSS itself.

Get Involved

The COSS Stewardship Body believes that the strength of the COSS standard lies in its community. We encourage those interested in the governance and future of COSS to engage with the initiative as it develops. Join our community to participate in discussions and contribute to the evolution of the COSS standard.