What it is
TK Labels from Local Contexts let Indigenous communities communicate culturally grounded protocols for access, use, attribution, and circulation of traditional knowledge materials. They are designed to travel with records and metadata so that community expectations remain visible outside their original context.
Although not AI-specific, they are directly relevant to data governance and machine-readable reuse signals because they express conditions that conventional licensing systems often fail to capture.
Watchouts
TK Labels are community-governance signals that rely on institutional and downstream respect; they are not a substitute for copyright law or a standard open license.
Evidence trail
- Sep 17, 2025 Guide to using TK Labels and Notices updated
Examples
Local Contexts publishes each label with a short code plus customizable template text.
TK Attribution (TK A)
Apply the correct attribution in any future use of this work.