Attribution and Notice Requirements

What it is

Anyone who shares or redistributes the DeepSeek-R1 model or any modified version of it must keep all original copyright and attribution notices intact.

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This clause establishes a continuing obligation for any entity that distributes or builds upon the model to preserve DeepSeek's intellectual property notices, which is standard in open-weight AI licenses but creates an audit and compliance obligation for organizations that redistribute modified versions.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Developers and organizations that redistribute DeepSeek-R1 or build derivative model releases are required under this clause to retain all original copyright and attribution notices, and failure to do so may constitute a license violation.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision is governed by intellectual property law, specifically copyright law, and aligns with standard open-source license requirements for attribution. It does not directly implicate consumer data protection regulations. Copyright enforcement mechanisms in the U.S. (U.S. Copyright Office, federal courts) and equivalent mechanisms in other jurisdictions would be the relevant enforcement channels. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to Medium. Attribution requirements are standard in open-weight and open-source AI licenses. The primary compliance exposure arises when organizations create fine-tuned or derivative model releases and fail to include required notices in model cards, documentation, or distribution packages. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: Copyright law applies in all major jurisdictions, and attribution requirements are generally enforceable. Organizations operating in the EU should ensure that model cards and documentation comply with both the license attribution requirements and any AI transparency obligations under the EU AI Act. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations that contract with third parties to fine-tune, distill, or package DeepSeek-R1 models should include contractual provisions requiring those vendors to maintain required attribution notices in all derivative releases and distributions. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal and engineering teams should implement model release checklists that include a verification step confirming that all required copyright and attribution notices from the original DeepSeek-R1 license are preserved in any redistributed or derivative model packages, documentation, and model cards.

Provision details

Other risks in this policy

• Anti-Distillation Clause high
• Commercial Use Threshold (100M MAU) medium
• Prohibition on Misrepresentation of Origin low
• License Grant Scope and Derivative Works medium
• Acceptable Use Policy and Prohibited Conduct high
• Disclaimer of Warranties medium

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