This document defines the scope boundaries of the Usage Attribution Reference.
Usage attribution describes the deterministic linkage between measurable system activity and an accountable entity. It operates independently of pricing, billing, or payment execution.
This reference covers usage attribution semantics for machine-to-machine and system-to-system interactions, including:
- Definition of usage units derived from machine-generated events
- Attribution of usage to identifiable machine, agent, or organizational entities
- Handling of delegation, orchestration, and proxy execution scenarios
- Resolution of one-to-one, one-to-many, and indirect attribution
- Separation of attribution logic from billing and settlement
- Versioned semantics enabling consistent interpretation over time
This reference explicitly does not cover:
- Billing qualification or settlement determination
- Pricing models, tariffs, or commercial valuation
- Payment processing, clearing, or invoicing
- Identity provisioning, authentication, or access control systems
- Legal, regulatory, or contractual responsibility frameworks
- Product implementations, services, or vendor-specific logic
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Usage:
Measurable activity resulting from machine-generated actions or interactions. -
Attribution:
The logical assignment of usage to an accountable entity based on defined rules. -
Accountable Entity:
A machine, agent, organization, or system identity recognized for responsibility assignment.
This repository exists to provide semantic clarity for attribution prior to billing or settlement.
It does not:
- prescribe architectures,
- endorse standards or protocols,
- certify systems,
- or define commercial practices.
All scope changes must be documented through explicit versioning and reflected consistently across repository files.