# Really Simple Licensing

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Really_Simple_Licensing
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> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**Really Simple Licensing** (RSL) is an [open](/source/Open_standard) content licensing standard that allows [web publishers](/source/Web_publishers) to set terms for [web crawlers](/source/Web_crawlers) gathering [training data](/source/Training_data) for [generative AI](/source/Generative_AI) use. It was launched on September 10, 2025 and is managed by the nonprofit [RSL Collective](/source/RSL_Collective), co-founded by [RSS](/source/RSS) co-creator [Eckart Walther](/source/Eckart_Walther) and former [Ask.com](/source/Ask.com) CEO [Doug Leeds](/source/Doug_Leeds). Participating companies at launch include [Reddit](/source/Reddit), [Yahoo](/source/Yahoo), and [Medium](/source/Medium_(website)).[1][2][3]

Publishers can implement the RSL standard by adding licensing terms to their [robots.txt](/source/Robots.txt) files.[4]

## See also

- [robots.txt](/source/Robots.txt)

## References

1. Brandom, Russell (September 10, 2025). ["RSS co-creator launches new protocol for AI data licensing"](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/10/rss-co-creator-launches-new-protocol-for-ai-data-licensing/). *[TechCrunch](/source/TechCrunch)*. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

1. Roth, Emma (September 10, 2025). ["The web has a new system for making AI companies pay up"](https://www.theverge.com/news/775072/rsl-standard-licensing-ai-publishing-reddit-yahoo-medium). *[The Verge](/source/The_Verge)*. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

1. Shanklin, Will (September 10, 2025). ["Reddit, Yahoo, Medium and more are adopting a new licensing standard to get compensated for AI scraping"](https://www.engadget.com/ai/reddit-yahoo-medium-and-more-are-adopting-a-new-licensing-standard-to-get-compensated-for-ai-scraping-180946671.html). *[Engadget](/source/Engadget)*. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

1. Belanger, Ashley (September 10, 2025). ["Pay-per-output? AI firms blindsided by beefed up robots.txt instructions."](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/pay-per-output-ai-firms-blindsided-by-beefed-up-robots-txt-instructions/). *[Ars Technica](/source/Ars_Technica)*. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

## External links

- [Official website](http://rslstandard.org)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Really Simple Licensing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Really_Simple_Licensing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Really_Simple_Licensing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.