CA-C-003815
DeepSeek — DeepSeek Model License
Entity
Date detected
July 18, 2026
Effective date
July 18, 2026
Severity
Low
Direction
Neutral
Affected users
all users developers
Changes
+3 sentences added · 2 sentences modified
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Event Summary

DeepSeek's MIT License repository page was updated to include standard license summary information and disclaimers. The change adds a summary statement that licensed works and modifications may be distributed under different terms without source code, displays standard license permissions and limitations, and includes a notice stating 'This is not legal advice.' The underlying MIT License text itself remains unchanged.

LOW

Consumer Impact

This change adds informational text and disclaimers to the license page but does not modify the underlying MIT License terms that govern use of the DeepSeek-R1 software. The updated page now displays a summary of standard MIT License permissions (commercial use, modification, distribution, private use) and a statement that modifications may be distributed under different terms. A disclaimer stating 'This is not legal advice' was also added. Developers using DeepSeek-R1 continue to operate under the MIT License itself, which has not been substantively altered.

Governance Analysis

The updated repository page now provides a summary of MIT License permissions and includes a legal disclaimer. Developers accessing the license page will see this additional information, though the substantive terms governing use of DeepSeek-R1 remain the MIT License itself, unchanged by this update.

Key Clauses Affected

license summary and disclaimer addition

Repository page now displays MIT License summary permissions and includes 'This is not legal advice' disclaimer, but underlying MIT License text is unchanged.

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This change record describes what was added, removed, or modified in the document. Analysis reflects what the updated agreement states or permits. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology

Evidence Verification

✓ Verified
Previous Version
92b0098f6ea8ab0cf312bd3f8ac2365df08de3656dda84c82a48e6304d3fd2eb
July 17, 2026 00:59 UTC
✓ Verified
Current Version
6f8e65b50f8a6f891d2b9cdcd082a705660b43d19b5f4db7d085a849fc6dd03e
July 18, 2026 01:01 UTC
✓ Verified
Change Detected
July 18, 2026 01:01 UTC
Analysis Methodology
Citation Record
Entity: DeepSeek
Document: DeepSeek Model License
Record ID: CA-C-003815
Captured: 2026-07-18 01:01:44 UTC
URL: https://conductatlas.com/change/2026-07-18-deepseek-deepseek-model-license-3815/
Accessed: July 18, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
For legal and compliance teams

Institutional Analysis

Assessment

The change is editorial and organizational in nature. The repository license page now includes a summary of MIT License permissions and limitations, plus a legal disclaimer. The actual MIT License text remains unchanged. This appears to be a display or documentation enhancement rather than a substantive modification to licensing terms. No compliance obligation arises from adding summary text or disclaimers to a license display page.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory exposure, obligation analysis, escalation trigger, board language, and recommended action.

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ConductAtlas provides verified policy intelligence sourced directly from platform documents. All analysis is intended to support, not replace, legal and compliance review. Record CA-C-003815.

Full Changes

View complete diff →

Document Context

Version history → Policy drift analysis → Document page →
Document
DeepSeek Model License
Entity
DeepSeek
Captured
July 18, 2026
Source URL
https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1/blob/main/LICENSE
Other changes to DeepSeek Model License
Previous change Jul 17, 2026
DeepSeek updated their DeepSeek-R1 model license on July 17, 2026. The update removed supplementary guidance text that explained license permissions, …
Low Neutral
View full version history →
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