Understanding RSL

What is RSL?

Really Simply Licensing (RSL) is an open standard that allows content owners to define licensing terms for automated systems like AI agents, web scrapers, and search bots. Think of it as a machine-readable contract that tells bots:

What they’re allowed to do with your content
What they’re not allowed to do
How much it costs to license your content (if anything)
Legal warranties and disclaimers

Instead of blocking all bots or leaving everything freely accessible, RSL gives you granular control over how automated systems access and use your content.

RSL File Structure

An RSL file is an XML document with a specific hierarchy:

The Hierarchy Explained

<rsl> - Root element (only one)
<content> - Defines a digital asset (URL pattern)
- You can have multiple <content> blocks for different sections of your site or individual pages
<copyright> - Who owns the content (optional)
<terms> - Link to detailed legal terms (optional)
<license> - Licensing terms for the content
- You can have multiple <license> blocks with different terms
<permits> - What’s allowed
<prohibits> - What’s not allowed
<payment> - How much it costs (optional - defaults to free)
<legal> - Warranties and disclaimers

Core Elements

Content: Defining What’s Licensed

The <content> element identifies which parts of your site require licensing. Attributes:

url (required): URL pattern to match
server (optional): License server for encrypted content
encrypted (optional): Whether content is encrypted
lastmod (optional): When content was last modified

Examples:

<!-- Entire website -->
<content url="https://example.com/*">
  ...
</content>

<!-- Specific section -->
<content url="https://example.com/premium/*">
  ...
</content>

<!-- Multiple sections -->
<content url="https://example.com/news/*">
  ...
</content>
<content url="https://example.com/api/*">
  ...
</content>

URL Pattern Wildcards:

* matches any sequence of characters
$ matches the end of a path

/articles/*      → matches /articles/2024/story, /articles/tech
/articles/$      → matches only /articles (exact)
/api/v1/*        → matches /api/v1/users, /api/v1/posts

License: Defining Terms

Each <content> can have one or more <license> elements defining different sets of terms. Why multiple licenses?

Offer free non-commercial access and paid commercial access
Different terms for different geographic regions
Tiered pricing (basic, premium, enterprise)

Example with two licenses:

<content url="https://example.com/*">
  <!-- License 1: Free for non-commercial -->
  <license>
    <permits type="usage">all</permits>
    <permits type="user">non-commercial,education,personal</permits>
    <payment type="free"/>
  </license>
  
  <!-- License 2: Paid for commercial -->
  <license>
    <permits type="usage">all</permits>
    <permits type="user">commercial</permits>
    <payment type="crawl">
      <amount currency="USD">0.01</amount>
    </payment>
  </license>
</content>

Permitted Uses

The <permits> element defines allowed uses, users, and geographic access.

Usage Types (`type="usage"`)

Specifies what bots can do with your content:

Value	Meaning
`all`	Any automated processing (most permissive)
`train-ai`	Train an AI model
`train-genai`	Train a generative AI model
`ai-use`	Use as input to a trained model (RAG)
`ai-summarize`	Summarize in search results or web pages
`search`	Build search index and provide search results

Examples:

<!-- Allow everything -->
<permits type="usage">all</permits>

<!-- Allow AI use but not training -->
<permits type="usage">ai-use,ai-summarize,search</permits>

<!-- Only allow search indexing -->
<permits type="usage">search</permits>

User Types (`type="user"`)

Specifies who can use your content:

Value	Meaning
`commercial`	For-profit companies and applications
`non-commercial`	Non-profit organizations, research
`education`	Schools, universities, educational use
`government`	Government agencies and public sector
`personal`	Individual personal use only

Examples:

<!-- Allow all user types -->
<permits type="user">commercial,non-commercial,education,government,personal</permits>

<!-- Only non-commercial and education -->
<permits type="user">non-commercial,education</permits>

<!-- Commercial only (paid license) -->
<permits type="user">commercial</permits>

Geographic Restrictions (`type="geo"`)

Specifies which countries can access your content using ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes. Examples:

<!-- Allow specific countries -->
<permits type="geo">US,CA,GB</permits>

<!-- Allow EU countries -->
<permits type="geo">EU</permits>

<!-- No geo restrictions (default if omitted) -->
<!-- Don't include <permits type="geo"> -->

Prohibited Uses

The <prohibits> element explicitly denies specific uses, even if they might otherwise be permitted. When to use Prohibits:

Carve out exceptions from broad permissions
Make specific restrictions crystal clear
Address particular concerns about content use

Examples: Allow search but prohibit AI training:

<permits type="usage">search,ai-use</permits>
<prohibits type="usage">train-ai,train-genai</prohibits>

Block commercial use:

<permits type="user">non-commercial,education,personal</permits>
<prohibits type="user">commercial</prohibits>

Block specific countries:

<permits type="geo">US,EU</permits>
<prohibits type="geo">XX,YY</prohibits>

Prohibits takes precedence. If something is both permitted and prohibited, it is prohibited.

Payment: Monetization Models

The <payment> element defines how bots pay for access (if at all).

Payment Types

Type	Description	Use Case
`free`	No payment required	Open access content
`attribution`	Credit required (link back)	Free but with attribution
`purchase`	One-time payment	Buy perpetual access
`subscription`	Monthly recurring	Ongoing access
`crawl`	Per page view	Pay each time content is accessed
`training`	Per training use	Pay when used for AI training
`inference`	Per AI output	Pay when used to generate responses

Examples: Free access:

<payment type="free"/>

Attribution required:

<payment type="attribution"/>

Pay per crawl:

<payment type="crawl">
  <amount currency="USD">0.01</amount>
</payment>

Monthly subscription:

<payment type="subscription">
  <amount currency="USD">99.00</amount>
</payment>

Custom pricing (link to contact page):

<payment>
  <custom>https://example.com/enterprise-licensing</custom>
</payment>

Standard license agreement:

<payment>
  <standard>https://example.com/standard-license-terms</standard>
</payment>

Legal: Warranties & Disclaimers

The <legal> element defines legal statements about your content and license.

Warranties (`type="warranty"`)

What you guarantee about your content:

Value	Meaning
`ownership`	You own or control copyright/licensing rights
`authority`	You’re authorized to grant these rights
`no-infringement`	Content doesn’t icnfringe third-party IP (to your knowledge)
`privacy-consent`	Required consents for personal data obtained
`no-malware`	Content is free from malicious code

Example:

<legal type="warranty">ownership,authority,no-infringement</legal>

Disclaimers (`type="disclaimer"`)

What you don’t guarantee (limit liability):

Value	Meaning
`as-is`	Content provided “as is” without guarantees
`no-warranty`	No express or implied warranties
`no-liability`	Not liable for damages from use
`no-indemnity`	No indemnification provided

Example:

<legal type="disclaimer">as-is,no-liability</legal>

Combined example:

<license>
  <permits type="usage">all</permits>
  <payment type="free"/>
  <legal type="warranty">ownership,authority</legal>
  <legal type="disclaimer">as-is,no-warranty,no-liability</legal>
</license>

Copyright & Terms: Metadata

Optional elements that identify the copyright holder and link to additional terms. Copyright:

<copyright 
  type="organization"
  contactEmail="licensing@example.com"
  contactUrl="https://example.com/contact"
/>

Terms:

<terms>https://example.com/licensing-terms</terms>

These provide bots (and humans) with contact information and detailed legal documentation.

Complete RSL Example

Here’s a full RSL file showing how all elements work together:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rsl xmlns="https://rslstandard.org/rsl">
  <!-- News section: Free for non-commercial -->
  <content url="https://example.com/news/*">
    <copyright 
      type="organization"
      contactEmail="licensing@example.com"
      contactUrl="https://example.com/contact"
    />
    <terms>https://example.com/licensing-terms</terms>
    
    <license>
      <permits type="usage">ai-use,search</permits>
      <permits type="user">non-commercial,education,personal</permits>
      <prohibits type="usage">train-ai</prohibits>
      <payment type="free"/>
      <legal type="warranty">ownership,authority</legal>
      <legal type="disclaimer">as-is,no-liability</legal>
    </license>
  </content>
  
  <!-- Premium content: Paid commercial access -->
  <content url="https://example.com/premium/*">
    <copyright 
      type="organization"
      contactEmail="licensing@example.com"
      contactUrl="https://example.com/contact"
    />
    
    <license>
      <permits type="usage">all</permits>
      <permits type="user">commercial</permits>
      <payment type="crawl">
        <amount currency="USD">0.02</amount>
      </payment>
      <legal type="warranty">ownership,authority,no-infringement</legal>
      <legal type="disclaimer">no-indemnity</legal>
    </license>
  </content>
  
  <!-- API: Custom enterprise licensing -->
  <content url="https://example.com/api/*">
    <license>
      <permits type="usage">all</permits>
      <permits type="user">commercial</permits>
      <payment>
        <custom>https://example.com/enterprise-licensing</custom>
      </payment>
    </license>
  </content>
</rsl>

Next Steps

Now that you understand RSL concepts, you’re ready to create your first license:

Create Your RSL License

Use the RSL Editor to define your licensing terms without writing XML by hand.

Additional Resources

RSL Official Spec: rslstandard.org/rsl
RSL Editor Guide: Creating Your RSL License
Publishing Options: Publishing Your License

Introduction

For Merchants

For Customers & Developers

What is RSL?

RSL File Structure

The Hierarchy Explained

Core Elements

Content: Defining What’s Licensed

License: Defining Terms

Permitted Uses

Usage Types (`type="usage"`)

User Types (`type="user"`)

Geographic Restrictions (`type="geo"`)

Prohibited Uses

Payment: Monetization Models

Payment Types

Legal: Warranties & Disclaimers

Warranties (`type="warranty"`)

Disclaimers (`type="disclaimer"`)

Copyright & Terms: Metadata

Complete RSL Example

Next Steps

Create Your RSL License

Additional Resources

Introduction

For Merchants

For Customers & Developers

​What is RSL?

​RSL File Structure

​The Hierarchy Explained

​Core Elements

​Content: Defining What’s Licensed

​License: Defining Terms

​Permitted Uses

​Usage Types (type="usage")

​User Types (type="user")

​Geographic Restrictions (type="geo")

​Prohibited Uses

​Payment: Monetization Models

​Payment Types

​Legal: Warranties & Disclaimers

​Warranties (type="warranty")

​Disclaimers (type="disclaimer")

​Copyright & Terms: Metadata

​Complete RSL Example

​Next Steps

Create Your RSL License

​Additional Resources

What is RSL?

RSL File Structure

The Hierarchy Explained

Core Elements

Content: Defining What’s Licensed

License: Defining Terms

Permitted Uses

Usage Types (`type="usage"`)

User Types (`type="user"`)

Geographic Restrictions (`type="geo"`)

Prohibited Uses

Payment: Monetization Models

Payment Types

Legal: Warranties & Disclaimers

Warranties (`type="warranty"`)

Disclaimers (`type="disclaimer"`)

Copyright & Terms: Metadata

Complete RSL Example

Next Steps

Additional Resources