Recognize three equal OpenDKG cofounders from inception and correct onboarding

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/membership-agreement.yml

@@ -1,22 +1,24 @@
 name: "OpenDKG membership and agreement"
-description: "Request OpenDKG organization membership after reviewing and accepting the versioned policies."
+description: "For future non-founder members: request membership after reading and accepting the versioned policies."
 title: "[Membership request] "
 body:
   - type: markdown
     attributes:
       value: |
-        ## OpenDKG membership request — version 1.0
+        ## OpenDKG membership request — version 1.0 (non-founder applicants)
+        **The three original equal cofounders must use [Founders' Issue #3](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/issues/3) instead, whether or not they have already joined the organization. This form is for other applicants, and submitting it does NOT make anyone a cofounder or administrator.**
+
         **Only applications filed in [OpenDKG/.github](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/issues/new?template=membership-agreement.yml) are processed.** This template can also be visible as an organization default in other repositories; do not file there.
 
         **Read these pinned documents before checking any boxes:**
-        - [Contributor Agreement v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64/CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md)
-        - [Governance v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64/GOVERNANCE.md)
-        - [Contribution guidelines v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64/CONTRIBUTING.md)
-        - [Developer Certificate of Origin](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64/DCO.md)
+        - [Contributor Agreement v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md)
+        - [Governance v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/GOVERNANCE.md)
+        - [Contribution guidelines v1.0](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/CONTRIBUTING.md)
+        - [Developer Certificate of Origin](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/DCO.md)
 
-        **Exact agreement revision:** `12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64`. The forms refer to this specific version, not to future changes. NetPetra is excluded from all coverage.
+        **Exact agreement revision:** `2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1`. The forms refer to this specific version, not to future changes. NetPetra is excluded from all coverage.
 
-        These terms are a **proposal until the three initial founders expressly adopt them**. Do not use this form to grant membership until adoption is confirmed. Filing this public issue is not an automatic invitation, a qualified electronic signature, or proof of civil identity.
+        These terms are a **proposal until the three original equal cofounders each personally adopt them**. Do not use this form to grant membership until adoption is confirmed. Filing this public issue is not an automatic invitation, a qualified electronic signature, or proof of civil identity.
 
         This issue and your GitHub username are public. **Do not provide legal names, addresses, identity documents, personal email, passwords, secrets, or sensitive personal information.**
   - type: input
@@ -42,14 +44,14 @@ body:
     attributes:
       label: "Contributor Agreement v1.0 — explicit acceptance"
       options:
-        - label: "I have read and affirmatively accept OpenDKG Contributor Agreement v1.0 at commit 12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64 for my authorized contributions to present and future Covered Repositories. NetPetra is excluded. I understand that existing valid outbound open-source licenses remain effective if I leave."
+        - label: "I have read and affirmatively accept OpenDKG Contributor Agreement v1.0 at commit 2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1 for my authorized contributions to present and future Covered Repositories. NetPetra is excluded. I understand that existing valid outbound open-source licenses remain effective if I leave."
           required: true
   - type: checkboxes
     id: governance-v1
     attributes:
       label: "Governance v1.0 — explicit acceptance"
       options:
-        - label: "I have read and accept OpenDKG Governance v1.0 at commit 12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64 for my requested role, including contribution review, decision-making, access control, and departure."
+        - label: "I have read and accept OpenDKG Governance v1.0 at commit 2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1 for my requested role, including contribution review, decision-making, access control, and departure."
           required: true
   - type: checkboxes
     id: contributing-dco-v1

CLA_SETUP.md

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ The [CLA Assistant service](https://cla-assistant.io/) can prompt an external pu
 
 ## Configuration by a GitHub organization owner
 
-1. First complete the **unanimous founding adoption** of the proposed [Contributor Agreement](CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md) and [Governance](GOVERNANCE.md).
-2. Prepare the complete, unchanged effective **Contributor Agreement v1.0** as a public GitHub Gist linked to the adopted exact revision. Do not silently rewrite substantive terms. The reference OpenDKG agreement revision in this initial package is `12b4e5bfb23285f66127cfb979ed1327eaab8e64`; if it changes before adoption, pin and review the actual adopted revision instead.
+1. First have **all three equal original cofounders**, including current technical owner `@a-51-50`, personally confirm acceptance (outside members can comment before joining) and complete the **unanimous founding adoption** of the proposed [Contributor Agreement](CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md) and [Governance](GOVERNANCE.md).
+2. Prepare the complete, unchanged effective **Contributor Agreement v1.0** as a public GitHub Gist linked to the adopted exact revision. Do not silently rewrite substantive terms. The reference OpenDKG agreement revision in this initial package is `2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1`; if it changes before adoption, pin and review the actual adopted revision instead.
 3. Sign in at **https://cla-assistant.io/** with an authorized GitHub account. Link OpenDKG or each of its covered repositories to that Gist, and approve the requested GitHub authorization/installation as required by the service. Install/use it only for **OpenDKG covered repositories**, not NetPetra.
 4. Open a harmless test PR from a **different GitHub account that has not signed**. Check that the service requests explicit agreement and posts the expected pending/failing status. Sign once, verify it changes to success and that the recorded version matches the approved text. Confirm it does not silently exempt authors who should sign.
 5. In each covered repository, configure **Settings → Rules → Rulesets** (or Branch protection) to **require the CLA check** before merging into the protected branch. Select the actual check name shown by your test PR, not a guessed name. Require at least one independent review and restrict bypass permissions. GitHub Free supports branch protection for public repositories; review plan limitations for private repos.

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ Welcome to OpenDKG. These contribution guidelines are the **organization default
 
 Read our [Contributor Agreement](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md), [Governance](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/main/GOVERNANCE.md) and [DCO](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/main/DCO.md).
 
+**Founders:** The three original equal OpenDKG cofounders, including `@a-51-50`, record their initial agreement through [Issue #3](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/issues/3), even before joining the organization. Ordinary future members use the [membership procedure](MEMBERSHIP.md). Founder status is not conferred by requesting membership.
+
 ## Before your first contribution
 
 1. Check the specific repository's `LICENSE`, `README`, third-party notices, and any special rules. If its license differs from Apache-2.0, obtain explicit permission to submit under the stated license.

CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 **Maintained at:** https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md  
 **Project operator:** the individual volunteer maintainers collaborating through the OpenDKG GitHub organization; **OpenDKG is not represented by this document as a registered company or separate legal person**.
 
-> **Adoption requirement.** Publishing this document is not agreement. Every founding maintainer and later contributor must affirmatively accept the exact version before the team treats it as binding on that person. The initial three maintainers must separately record unanimous adoption of the initial governance terms. Existing code is not retroactively licensed without permission from the relevant rightsholders. This is a draft for legal review in applicable jurisdictions, not a guarantee of enforceability or immunity from liability.
+> **Adoption requirement.** Publishing this document is not agreement. Every founding maintainer and later contributor must affirmatively accept the exact version before the team treats it as binding on that person. The three original equal cofounders must each independently record acceptance of the same revision before relying on unanimous initial governance adoption. The first GitHub Organization Owner is a temporary technical custodian, not a sole legal founder or sole guarantor of other people's activities. Existing code is not retroactively licensed without permission from the relevant rightsholders. This is a draft for legal review in applicable jurisdictions, not a guarantee of enforceability or immunity from liability.
 
 ## 1. What repositories are covered
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Before their first contribution under this policy, the contributor must post an
 
 > I, the GitHub account signing this comment, affirmatively accept **OpenDKG Contributor Agreement v1.0**, at the exact revision linked in this comment, for my authorized contributions to **all current and future Covered Repositories owned by OpenDKG**, excluding **NetPetra**. I understand that valid outbound licenses I grant on accepted contributions cannot be revoked solely because I leave the team. I retain ownership of my original work. My previously submitted work is included **only** if I list the relevant commits or PRs here. Covered earlier work: **none / links**. Agreement revision (commit SHA): **[paste commit]**.
 
-A DCO `Signed-off-by` trailer is **not** acceptance of this separate agreement. Acceptance of a materially revised agreement requires a new explicit acknowledgment; changed terms cannot retroactively replace prior public licenses. The initial three maintainers must each individually accept this agreement and record adoption of `GOVERNANCE.md` before they claim these rules are in force.
+A DCO `Signed-off-by` trailer is **not** acceptance of this separate agreement. Acceptance of a materially revised agreement requires a new explicit acknowledgment; changed terms cannot retroactively replace prior public licenses. The three original equal cofounders must each personally accept this agreement and record adoption of `GOVERNANCE.md` before the three-person council claims its collective rules are in force. Founding status is not decided by the order of GitHub invitations.
 
 ## 7. Previous contributions
 

FOUNDER_ONBOARDING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# OpenDKG — three equal cofounders: onboarding and acceptance
+
+**Status: proposal.** This document describes the team's intended founding arrangements. It does not bind someone who has not personally agreed, create a company, transfer intellectual property, or distribute legal liability.
+
+## Founding relationship
+
+OpenDKG is intended as a project **cofounded from the outset by three equal individuals**:
+
+- `@a-51-50` — one of the three equal cofounders; presently the **technical GitHub Organization Owner** because this account created the organization.
+- Original cofounder 2 — **GitHub handle not yet provided or personally confirmed**.
+- Original cofounder 3 — **GitHub handle not yet provided or personally confirmed**.
+
+These are **three equal founding seats**. Who created the GitHub account first does not confer additional votes, project copyright, founders' ownership rights, or permanent control. The other original cofounders are not ordinary later-stage applicants merely because their GitHub invitations have not yet been sent. However, **do not claim that anyone is contractually bound until they personally accept** the relevant agreement.
+
+**Exact proposed Governance and Contributor Agreement revision for acceptance:** `2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1`. The underlying documents remain v1.0 proposals and were clarified before any of the three original cofounders had accepted. An outdated revision is not adequate consent to this clarified version.
+
+**NetPetra is explicitly excluded**, even if it later moves into OpenDKG.
+
+## How each of the three accepts (including the initial technical Owner)
+
+1. Read [Contributor Agreement v1.0 at the pinned revision](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/CONTRIBUTOR_AGREEMENT.md) and [Governance v1.0 at the same revision](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/blob/2e429d904db1059a678085792ad44f1d732d7ea1/GOVERNANCE.md).
+2. Each of the original three individually opens [founding acceptance Issue #3](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/issues/3) **from their own GitHub account**. You can comment **without being an organization member** because the repository is public.
+3. Each personally posts the declaration provided in Issue #3 after actually reading the documents. No owner, agent or bot may post acceptance for another person. A GitHub comment is evidence of an attributable public action, not verified civil identity or a qualified electronic signature.
+4. The current GitHub Owner checks that exactly three **different original-cofounder accounts** submitted explicit acceptance of the **same pinned revision**. Record three comment permalinks in the issue and only then mark the full founding council as formed. If the text changes substantially, collect agreement to the final version again.
+5. For each original cofounder who has accepted, `@a-51-50` may invite their account to the organization; there is **no need to wait until all three are already GitHub members**. Joining as a **Member** is acceptable until the full founder roster is agreed and organizational permissions are reviewed.
+6. After unanimous adoption, assign GitHub privileges by an explicit, documented founders' decision. If all three are meant to have equal technical control, **Organization Owner** for all three is more equivalent than giving two people only **Repository Admin**. But GitHub Owners have powerful unilateral platform capabilities, so all three should understand this risk and use MFA, separate recovery methods, least privilege and review controls. This process **does not automatically grant any account Owner or Admin**.
+7. Ordinary later contributors apply via [the membership form](https://github.com/OpenDKG/.github/issues/new?template=membership-agreement.yml) or submit PRs as external contributors. They have **no cofounder status**, no governance vote and no automatic admin permissions.
+
+## Accountability and limits
+
+No statement in GitHub governance makes the three persons automatically jointly liable for each other's activities, automatically shields `@a-51-50` from liability, or turns a GitHub organization into a limited-liability company. This must be addressed separately under the relevant jurisdictions and in actual contracts, if any. Do not represent an unregistered collaboration as an LLC.
+
+These documents are for organization operations and permission/provenance evidence. For legally enforceable founder duties and financial or IP allocation across jurisdictions, have appropriate counsel review the arrangement. Never post passports, addresses, private contact information, cryptographic secrets or identity documents publicly.