IP, culture & data sovereignty

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property always remains the property of the relevant Traditional Custodians. No one in this project — not the partner organisations, not the universities — can own, assign, or exclusively license it. Any use requires Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and follows cultural protocol. Traditional Custodians keep ongoing access to any materials that include their knowledge.

The curriculum, delivery model, and learning materials developed through this project are jointly owned by Life Again Foundation and the Indigenous knowledge holders and partner organisations who contribute to them. Life Again Foundation acts as custodial administrator — looking after storage, version control, licensing, and cultural integrity — but does not control the content on its own. The program is treated as a joint product, kept distinct from the underlying Indigenous knowledge, which stays with its custodians.

The program's name, content, and delivery materials are protected against unauthorised change. No adaptations or derivative works can be made without written approval from Life Again Foundation and the relevant Indigenous partners. This keeps the program culturally safe and faithful to its purpose wherever it is delivered.

The universities involved can use program materials for research, education, and internal purposes — but cannot deliver, adapt, or commercialise them externally. Any external delivery or commercial use requires a written licence issued by Life Again Foundation, sign-off from the project's cultural governance body, partnership with an appropriate local Indigenous organisation, and accredited facilitator training. No party can issue licences independently.

Revenue from external licensing is shared with Indigenous partners under a Benefit-Sharing Agreement. Benefits are not only financial — they include capacity building, employment, and community investment. Commercial returns are reinvested into sustaining and evolving the program, supporting Indigenous community initiatives, and funding further collaborative research.

Consent is never treated as a one-off. Publications and program materials that draw on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property must meet consent, attribution, and cultural protocol requirements — and consent is renewed for any new public or commercial application.

An IP and Licensing Oversight Subgroup, sitting under the Project Advisory Group, reviews external use, approves licences, and oversees cultural integrity. Where disagreements arise, they are addressed first through culturally informed mediation, following cultural protocols.

This framework exists so the project's work can grow and be shared without ever taking control away from the communities whose knowledge it is built on. It is a living, working structure — not a one-off statement.