Rubenerd: The Rubenerd LLM Licencing PAC

4 min read Original article ↗

It has come to my attention that the corpus of my public work has been scraped and used to train Large Language Models (LLMs), referred to in academia as “bullshit generators”, and erroneously by marketers and venture capital firms as “AI”.

This training occurred without my permission, attribution, or compensation (PAC), which represents a violation of my rights, and was Not Nice. Businesses and individuals have therefore raised concerns about their use of LLM tools, and have sought to indemnify themselves.

In response to this demand, I (Ruben Schade) am introducing the Rubenerd LLM Licencing PAC. This non-exclusive licence permits any entity to use a model trained against my data, in exchange for a reasonable fee. I am offering a licence per LLM query, and a perpetual licence covering any and all uses of a specific LLM.

Pricing per user

As of January 2026:

  • Licence per LLM query: 1,000.00 €
  • Perpetual LLM licence: 10,000,000.50 €

These are latest prices, though are subject to change.

Arranging payment

You are to make payments in the form of a public, charitable donation to one or more of the following organisations. Note their appearance here does not constitute endorsement by them of this licencing arrangement:

Upon completion of this donation, contact licencing@this-site-url with your supporting evidence. Once I am satisfied the conditions of payment have been met, you will be issued with a licence certificate, and a note of gratitude within one business week.

  • Do I really need to purchase a licence to use LLMs trained against your work? Yes.

  • No, really? Yes.

  • Does this licence also cover LLM produced by an educational facility or a non-profit? Yes.

  • What if my legal team advises me this is not payable? They are incorrect.

  • Is this satire? No, of course not.

  • Was that sarcasm? No, of course not.

Pricing FAQs

  • Does the perpetual licence cover all LLMs? No. You must purchase a licence per LLM used, even if developed or offered by the same shyster. Pardon, business.

  • Your prices are in Euro; don’t you reside in Australia? Yes.

  • Aren’t the prices a bit steep? The large “AI” companies receive billions in VC funding a year, which they proceed to set on fire with no reasonable prospect of profitability. In this context, the prices here are a bargain.

  • What if I can’t afford it? Then you also won’t be able to when the bubble bursts and the VCs will no longer be subsidising your toys.

  • Do you offer educational discounts? No.

  • Do you offer non-profit discounts? No.

  • Do you offer a site licence? No. Every user must have their own licence.

  • Do you offer bulk discounts or price breaks? No.

  • Do you offer flexible payment plans? No.

  • Do you offer specials on Black Friday, or other such retail scams? No.

  • Is the 0.50 Euro cents really necessary for the Perpetual Licence? Yes.

Payment FAQs

  • May I donate in another currency? Yes. You must provide evidence that the donation, after fees, covers the equivalent cost in Euro at the time the donation was made.

  • May I split my licence fee across multiple organisations? Yes. You must provide evidence that the sum total of these donations meet or exceed the chosen licence cost.

  • Are my donations tax deductible? Contact the fund/foundation to whom you donated for details.

Update: More FAQs

These are based on feedback I’ve received.

  • Are you serious!? I already addressed this.

  • How are you going to enforce this!? LLM operators are known for their impeccable ethics, dress sense, and personal hygiene. I’m confident enforcement won’t be required.

  • May I adapt this for my own? Absolutely! A link back would be nice.