The Squirrel Protection License (SPL) Version 1.0, 2025

Copyright (c) 2025 catpea and the International Squirrel Defense League

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person or sentient being obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

1. SQUIRREL WELFARE CLAUSE No squirrel shall be harmed, distressed, or otherwise bothered in the development, deployment, or usage of this Software. This includes but is not limited to: chasing, startling, photography without consent (tail flicks indicate non-consent), or making sudden movements near squirrels engaged in important acorn-related business.

2. HABITAT PRESERVATION Users of this Software hereby pledge to plant at least one (1) nut-bearing tree per major release deployed, or to leave out unsalted peanuts on a regular basis. Bird feeders that actively exclude squirrels are considered violations of this license and will result in bad karma.

3. NAMING RIGHTS The name "Squirrel Pie" shall never, under any circumstances, be used to refer to actual squirrel-based culinary preparations. Any such usage will result in immediate license termination and a lifetime of acorns thrown at your head by organized squirrel activists.

4. ADMIRATION REQUIREMENT Users must, at least once per week, pause their work to watch a squirrel and say (aloud or internally), "Wow, that's a good squirrel." Failure to comply may result in decreased code quality and general misfortune.

5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE Should a squirrel be found in distress near any location where this Software is in use, the user must immediately cease work and contact appropriate wildlife rescue services. Debugging can wait. The squirrel cannot.

6. TAIL RESPECT All references to squirrels in comments, documentation, or commit messages must acknowledge the magnificence of their tails. Phrases like "rat with a fancy tail" are expressly prohibited and considered hate speech.

7. WINTER PREPARATION Between September and November (Northern Hemisphere) or March and May (Southern Hemisphere), users must show extra patience and understanding toward squirrels engaged in frantic caching behavior. They're just trying to survive winter, unlike you with your heated office and DoorDash.

8. NO SQUIRREL PIE BAKING Users expressly agree to never, ever bake, cook, prepare, contemplate, or Google recipes for actual squirrel pie. This is non-negotiable. Violations will be enforced by a council of very disappointed squirrels.

9. PARK ETIQUETTE When using this Software in parks or outdoor spaces where squirrels are present, users must maintain a respectful distance and resist the urge to share their snacks (unless said snacks are unsalted nuts, in which case, sharing is encouraged but not required).

10. SPIRITUAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT Users acknowledge that squirrels are better at:

    • Planning ahead (see: winter preparation)
    • Risk assessment (see: power line navigation)
    • Work-life balance (see: nap frequency)
    • Physical fitness (see: vertical tree sprinting)
    • And probably coding, but they choose not to show off

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF SQUIRREL DIGNITY.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS, COPYRIGHT HOLDERS, OR SQUIRREL REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE, EXCEPT IN CASES WHERE SAID DEALINGS RESULT IN HARM TO SQUIRRELS, IN WHICH CASE ALL BETS ARE OFF.

By using this Software, you agree to uphold these principles and to be a friend to squirrels everywhere. They didn't ask to share this planet with us, but here we are, and the least we can do is be cool about it.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this license is executed by unanimous chittering approval of the Squirrel Council, convened under the Great Oak on this day.

Witnessed by:

• Sir Nutsworth III, Esq. (tail signature: three flicks and a twirl)
• Professor Acornella McGee, PhD in Tree Navigation
• The Honorable Bushytail McFlufferson, Supreme Arbiter of Park Justice

🐿️ Remember: Friends, not food. Code, not cuisine. 🌰

NOTE: This Squirrel Protection License is a humorous addendum and does not supersede the legal MIT License under which this software is actually distributed. However, the spirit of squirrel protection is very much legally binding in the court of common decency.