KARIOS OS

KARIOS OS

TERMS OF SERVICE

Open-Source Edition — Community & Website Use

Effective Date: July 1, 2026 | Last Updated: July 1, 2026

BY DOWNLOADING, INSTALLING, OR USING KARIOS OS, OR BY ACCESSING OR USING THE KARIOS FOUNDATION WEBSITE, COMMUNITY FORUMS, OR RELATED SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THE SOFTWARE OR THE SERVICES.

1. About These Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern (a) your access to and use of the Karios Foundation website, community forums, and related services (collectively, the “Services”), and (b) your rights and responsibilities when you download, install, or use Karios OS (the “Software”) under its open-source license. KARIOS, INC. (“we,” “us,” or “our”) makes the Software available to the public under an open-source license, and the Karios Foundation operates the website and community platforms described in these Terms.

These Terms incorporate and are subject to the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the “Apache License”), the full text of which is available at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0. In any conflict between these Terms and the Apache License, the Apache License controls with respect to your license rights in the Software.

The Apache License is a permissive license: you may use, modify, and distribute the Software — including in proprietary, closed-source, and commercial products or services — without any obligation to release your own source code, subject only to the attribution, notice, and patent terms described in Section 5.

An Enterprise License is not required to use the Software commercially; it is available for organizations that want warranty coverage, indemnification, commercial support, or trademark rights beyond what the Apache License provides. See Section 15.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Services or the Software.

2. Open Source Licensing

Karios OS is an open-source hypervisor project. The source code, documentation, and related assets hosted on our GitHub organization (github.com/karios-os) are governed by their respective open-source licenses, principally the Apache License, Version 2.0, as indicated in each repository.

3. Who May Use the Software

The Apache License is permissive and does not restrict use by category of user or type of use. These Terms apply equally to individuals, non-profit organizations, open-source developers, government entities, and commercial and for-profit organizations, whether your use is personal, internal, or commercial in nature, and whether or not you modify, distribute, or offer the Software as part of a hosted or commercial product or service.

You do not need to qualify under any particular category, obtain our approval, or purchase an Enterprise License in order to use, modify, or commercially distribute the Software under the Apache License. See Section 15 for what an Enterprise License adds on top of your Apache License rights.

4. License Grant

Subject to your compliance with these Terms and the Apache License, we grant you a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable (except as stated in Section 5.5) license to:

Download, install, and run the Software;
Reproduce and distribute copies of the Software, in source or object form;
Prepare derivative works of the Software and modify and distribute your modified versions, in source or object form, under the conditions in Section 5;
Use the Software, including modified versions, to provide a network service, hosted product, or SaaS offering, with no obligation to disclose your source code.

KARIOS also grants you, under Section 3 of the Apache License, a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable (except as stated in Section 5.5) patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the Software, to the extent such license is necessary and is infringed by the Software alone or by its combination with other work with which it was contributed.

This license does not transfer any ownership rights in the Software to you. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by KARIOS.

5. Your Obligations

5.1 Distributing the Software or Modified Versions

If you distribute the Software or any modified version of it (in source or object form), you must:

Give any other recipients a copy of the Apache License;
Cause any modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files;
Retain, in the source form of any derivative works you distribute, all copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices from the source form of the Software, excluding notices that do not pertain to any part of the derivative works;
If the Software’s distribution includes a NOTICE file, include a readable copy of the attribution notices in Section 5.2 in any derivative works you distribute, in at least one of the customary places such notices are provided (e.g., within a NOTICE file, your documentation, or your product’s about screen).

You may add your own copyright notice to your modifications and may provide additional or different license terms for your own modifications, provided your use, reproduction, and distribution of the Software otherwise complies with the conditions above.

Unlike copyleft licenses, the Apache License does not require you to release the source code of your modifications, to license your modified versions under the Apache License or any particular license, or to disclose your source code if you make the Software available over a network as a hosted or SaaS product.

5.2 Attribution

All distributions and deployments must include the following attribution in documentation, about screens, or other materials provided with the Software:

5.3 Trademarks

The Apache License does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of KARIOS or the Karios Foundation, including “Karios” and “Karios OS,” except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing the origin of the Software and reproducing the content of the NOTICE referenced in Section 5.2. Any other use of our trademarks requires our prior written permission or an Enterprise License. See Section 15.

5.4 No Additional Restrictions

You may not impose any further restrictions on the rights granted to recipients of the Software beyond those in these Terms and the Apache License, and you may not use technical measures (such as digital rights management) to restrict recipients from exercising the rights the Apache License grants them.

5.5 Patent Litigation

If you institute patent litigation against KARIOS or any other entity alleging that the Software, or a contribution incorporated within the Software, constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses granted to you under these Terms and the Apache License for the Software shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.

6. Prohibited Uses

Because the Apache License is permissive, incorporating the Software into proprietary products, offering it as a commercial SaaS or hosted service, or embedding it in commercial hardware are all permitted without obtaining an Enterprise License, provided you comply with Section 5. The following uses, however, are not permitted under these Terms:

Using the KARIOS or Karios OS names, logos, or trademarks in a way not permitted by Section 5.3;
Removing, altering, or obscuring any copyright, patent, trademark, or attribution notices required by Section 5;
Representing that your modified or redistributed version of the Software is endorsed by, certified by, or produced by KARIOS or the Karios Foundation, when it is not;
Using the Software in any manner that violates applicable law or these Terms.

If you would like a license to use our trademarks beyond what Section 5.3 permits, or if you want warranty coverage, indemnification, or commercial support, contact us about an Enterprise License. See Section 15.

7. Intellectual Property

KARIOS retains all right, title, and interest in and to the Software, including all intellectual property rights. These Terms grant you a license to use the Software; they do not transfer any ownership rights.

You retain ownership of any original content, data, or code you create independently using the Software. If you submit modifications or contributions to us, see Section 8 regarding contributor terms.

8. Contributions

We encourage community involvement. By submitting bug reports, forum posts, feedback, or feature requests (“Content”) to our Services, you grant KARIOS a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and display that Content in connection with operating the Services.

If you submit code, patches, pull requests, documentation, or other contributions to Karios OS for inclusion in the official project, you agree that:

You have the legal right to submit the contribution and it does not infringe any third-party rights;
You grant KARIOS a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute your contribution, including under licenses other than the Apache License, such as in future commercial or Enterprise offerings;
Contributions not accompanied by a signed Contributor License Agreement (CLA) will not be merged into the official repository.

9. Community Conduct

We are committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and high-quality environment for our open-source community. When participating in our Discourse forums, GitHub repositories, or other community channels, you agree to:

Comply with the Karios Foundation Code of Conduct;
Keep discussions relevant, constructive, and respectful;
Not post spam, commercial solicitations, or malicious links;
Not harass, abuse, or discriminate against other users, contributors, or maintainers.

We reserve the right to moderate, edit, or delete any content that violates these guidelines and to suspend or terminate the accounts of users who violate these rules.

10. Account Registration

To participate in the Discourse forum, you may be required to register for an account (e.g., via GitHub SSO or email). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SOFTWARE AND THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS,” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE OR THE SERVICES WILL BE ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR UNINTERRUPTED. YOUR USE IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Because Karios OS is a hypervisor that interacts directly with underlying hardware and operating systems, experimental or improper use can result in system crashes, data loss, or instability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, KARIOS, the Karios Foundation, and their respective maintainers, contributors, and sponsors disclaim all warranties, express or implied, relating to such use.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, KARIOS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF DATA, HARDWARE DAMAGE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR LOSS OF PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR THE SERVICES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES WHETHER THE CLAIM IS BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED USD $500.00.

13. Links to Third-Party Sites

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., upstream open-source projects, hardware vendors, or cloud providers). We do not control these external sites and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.

14. Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your data when you use the website and forum.

15. Enterprise License

Because the Software is licensed under the permissive Apache License, you do not need an Enterprise License to use, modify, distribute, or commercialize the Software, including as a proprietary product or a hosted SaaS offering. An Enterprise License is an optional commercial add-on for organizations that want:

Warranty coverage, indemnification (including patent and IP indemnification), or commercial support and SLAs;
A trademark license to use the KARIOS or Karios OS names, logos, or marks beyond what Section 5.3 permits;
Access to KARIOS-maintained proprietary add-ons, integrations, or private repositories not published under the Apache License;
Custom contractual terms, volume deployment agreements, or OEM arrangements.

To inquire about Enterprise Licensing, contact us at info@kariossos.org or visit https://kariosos.org/contact/.

16. Term and Termination

These Terms are effective until terminated. Your rights under these Terms terminate automatically and without notice if you fail to comply with any provision of these Terms or the Apache License (including the patent termination trigger in Section 5.5).

Upon termination, you must cease all use of the Software and destroy all copies in your possession or control. Sections 7, 11, 12, 17, and 18 survive termination.

17. Modifications to These Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. We will post the updated Terms on the Karios Foundation website and, where the changes are material, provide additional notice through our Discourse forum or the website homepage. Continued use of the Software or the Services after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of Fairfax, Virginia, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

19. General

These Terms, together with the Apache License, constitute the entire agreement between you and KARIOS regarding the Software and Services and supersede all prior agreements. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it in the future.

20. Contact Us

For general community conduct questions, contact the maintainers at info@kariossos.org.

For legal questions about these Terms or the Apache License, contact us at legal@karios.com.

For Enterprise Licensing inquiries, contact us at sales@karios.com.