Terms of Use (DRAFT)

May 16, 2026

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha publishes translations of the Tibetan Buddhist canon freely and openly through its public reading room, scholar's room, and website. All translations are available under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives licence, meaning they may be shared and reproduced freely provided 84000 is credited as the source, the use is non-commercial, and the texts are not modified. Translation metadata and glossary data are available under the more permissive Creative Commons Attribution licence, allowing adaptation and commercial use with attribution. Source code is available via 84000's mono repository under an open source licence. API access is available to partners by written agreement on request. 84000 does not operate an open API. Use of the Service is subject to 84000's Privacy Policy, and 84000 reserves the right to modify or discontinue any part of the Service at any time.

Terms of Use

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate the Tibetan Buddhist canon into English and make these texts freely available to everyone.

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at info@84000.co.

Your Agreement with 84000

Your use of the 84000 service is governed by this agreement (the "Terms"). "84000" means 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. The "Service" means all services 84000 makes available, including:

  • Published content — translations in HTML, PDF, and ePub in the public reading room at 84000.co
  • Scholar's room — tools for scholars at scholar.84000.co, including reading and library synchronisation
  • Translation data — glossaries, translation memory, and other translation data available via the scholar's room
  • Source code — applications and scripts available via the 84000 mono repository
  • APIs — data and content endpoints made available to approved partners on request
  • Website content — content published at 84000.co
  • Reading Room App — available on the Apple App Store under its own terms of use

By using the Service you agree to these Terms. 84000 may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Use of the Service

General

  • You agree to attribute 84000 whenever any part of the Service is used externally.
  • You agree not to engage in any activity that interferes with or disrupts the Service.
  • 84000 reserves the right to enforce usage limits and quotas at its sole discretion, with or without notice, which may result in throttling or disabling your access.
  • You may not allow multiple people to use the same account.

Published Content

Readers may access, download, and read translations in the public reading room in HTML, PDF, and ePub formats free of charge and without creating an account, subject to the licence terms set out below.

Scholar's Room

Access to the scholar's room is open. Library synchronization requires authentication.

Source Code

84000's source code is made available via our mono repository. Use of source code is subject to the licence terms set out below. Applications developed for internal data management are not necessarily open source and are not covered by the open source licence.

APIs

84000 does not currently operate an open API. Access to data and content via API (including REST, GraphQL, or MCP interfaces) is available on request and requires a written agreement with 84000. To enquire about a data or API partnership, please contact us at info@84000.co.

Data Partnerships

84000 may make translation data available to external partners under a supporting written agreement. All partnerships must be aligned with 84000's mission and values. 84000 reserves the right to rescind any data partnership.

Licences

Published Translations (HTML, PDF, and ePub)

All translations published by 84000 are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence.

Attribution — You must credit 84000 as the source in any use of our translations. The goal of attribution is to ensure that translations appearing online, in print, or in other media identify their source. Context is critical for dharma texts, as it defines the literary and religious environment in which the text was produced.

Acceptable forms of attribution include:

  • A direct link to the translation, e.g. https://84000.co/translation/toh1-1
  • A link to 84000, e.g. https://84000.co
  • By text, e.g. Published by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

Attribution must include 84000. Crediting only the translator or translation group, while omitting 84000, does not fulfill this requirement.

Non-commercial — You may not use 84000 translations for commercial purposes. When in doubt, please contact us.

No derivatives — You may not alter, transform, or create derivative works from 84000 translations without express permission. This includes publishing excerpts, omitting footnotes, or remixing glossary content.

Permitted uses include:

  • Reading and printing for personal use
  • Posting for free download
  • Publishing a complete translation online or in print with ancillary notes and materials
  • Use as training data in machine learning environments (84000 considers this fair use, as no traceable copy of the original remains after training)

Not permitted:

  • Publishing excerpts without express permission
  • Publishing translations without footnotes
  • Any use to solicit money or for commercial purposes

For individuals or groups who reference 84000 translations in non-English language translations, an acknowledgement is appreciated. Use of 84000 translations as reference material does not constitute an endorsement by 84000.

Translation Metadata (RDF, Translation Memory, Glossaries)

Translation metadata, including RDF documents, translation memory, and glossary data, is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

You are free to share, copy, redistribute, adapt, and build upon this material for any purpose, including commercially, provided you give attribution to 84000.

Acceptable forms of attribution include:

  • A direct link to the resource, e.g. https://read.84000.co/glossary/downloads.html
  • A link to 84000, e.g. https://read.84000.co
  • By text, e.g. Published by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

Not permitted:

  • Harvesting or publishing metadata, in whole or in part, without referencing 84000

Source Code

Source code in the 84000 mono repository is made available under [LICENSE TBC]. Where open source licence terms expressly supersede these Terms, the open source licence governs your use of that code. Applications developed for internal data management purposes are not covered by this licence.

Privacy

The Service is subject to 84000's Privacy Policy. By using the Service you agree to the use of your data in accordance with that policy.

External Resources

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or resources. 84000 is not responsible for the availability or content of any external sites and does not endorse any products or materials found there.

The 84000 Reading Room App is available on the Apple App Store. Use of that application is governed by the terms of use published there.

Modification of the Service

84000 may change the Service at any time without prior notice, including changes to functionality, security, and available features. 84000 shall not be liable for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.

Ideas and Feedback

If you submit ideas or feedback about the Service, you agree that your submission is unsolicited and without restriction. 84000 is free to use or disclose such ideas without any obligation to you.

Cancellation and Termination

84000 may, at its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to the Service at any time and for any reason, without prior notice. 84000 shall not be liable to you or any third party for such termination.

Exclusion of Warranties

Your use of the Service is at your sole risk. The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." 84000 makes no warranty that the Service will meet your requirements, be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, or that any data provided will be accurate.

Limitation of Liability

84000, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and licensors shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages arising from your use of the Service, however caused, including loss of profit, loss of data, loss of goodwill, or cost of substitute services.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless 84000 and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, employees, and partners from any third-party claim arising from your breach of these Terms, your use of the Service, or your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

General

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and 84000 regarding your use of the Service and supersede any prior agreements. If 84000 does not exercise any right under these Terms, this does not constitute a waiver of that right. 84000 shall not be liable for failure to perform its obligations due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including acts of government, natural disasters, power failures, or internet disruptions.