The Rta Phi Foundation exists for a single purpose: to release engineering designs to the commons, sustainably, on terms that respect both their authors and the public.
"Rta" (ऋत) is the Sanskrit word for cosmic order, natural law, the principle by which what is in tune with reality endures. "Phi" (ϕ) is the symbol used across mathematics, engineering, and physics for ratios of structure and proportion — the golden ratio, the magnetic flux, the work function. Taken together: the Foundation is named for the discipline of building things that hold together — designs that are coherent in themselves, and aligned with the world they enter.
The Foundation stewards a portfolio of engineering designs across hardware and software, releases them publicly under the GNU AGPLv3, and operates a commercial licensing program for organizations whose business models cannot accommodate copyleft. Revenue from commercial licensing sustains the Foundation's open work in perpetuity.
The Foundation does not produce designs itself. It receives them, vets them, publishes them, supports their implementation, and licenses them on consistent terms.
The point of an open license is not that the work be free for everyone, but that it be free for someone.
The Foundation is being incorporated as a non-profit entity under Canadian federal law, with an independent board to be appointed upon incorporation. Until incorporation is complete, the Foundation operates in pre-launch mode — publishing its intended structure, terms, and portfolio so that prospective licensees, contributors, and research partners can engage early.
The Foundation's Articles of Incorporation and General Bylaws are published in full on the Governance page, along with a summary of the board structure and key facts about the corporation.
The Foundation has an exclusive licensing agreement with Phi-Coherent Inc. (PCI), a Canadian engineering company that originates the designs in our portfolio. Under that agreement:
The same AGPLv3 terms apply to every user of the work, from individual researchers to the largest enterprises. No exemptions, no preferential treatment, no separate "community editions."
The Foundation's repositories are self-hosted infrastructure under our own control. GitHub mirrors exist for visibility and contributor convenience, but the canonical source is the Foundation's own. This protects the work against platform risk and ensures long-term availability.
Every design ships with a whitepaper or technical report. We do not release code without the supporting analysis required to understand and verify it. The papers and the code are equal first-class outputs.
The Foundation's commercial licensing program exists to fund the open work — not to limit it. AGPLv3 access to every design is unconditional and permanent. The commercial license simply provides a path for those whose business model requires it.
For licensing inquiries: licensing@rtaphi.org. For research and contribution questions: research@rtaphi.org. For press, partnerships, and other matters: foundation@rtaphi.org. See the contact page for additional channels.