conditioned rights transfer

Conditioned rights transfer is a governance mechanism designed to solve the "launchpad vs. graduation" dilemma for early-stage open source startups. Instead of a complete transfer of IP on Day 1, ownership and governance rights move from the sponsoring company to the community only as specific, pre-defined maturity milestones are met . This approach preserves "founder optionality" in the critical early days, allowing the startup to retain the control needed to build a defensible business model .

As the company de-risks its operations and the project gains traction, the "conditioned" nature of the transfer ensures that the project eventually "cures" into a neutral, sustainable asset . This aligns the timeline of community governance with the commercial reality of the business, preventing the "corporate suicide" often associated with premature foundation donation .