Extension: ramp-legal-v1

Overview

The RAMP-Legal v1 extension profile defines a vocabulary for the ext fields in RAMP protocol messages, enabling Exchanges, Brokers, and AI agents to discover, compare, transact, and verify legal content across three sub-domains:

• Legislation — EU regulations, directives, and decisions; US statutes and bills; UK acts; national laws. Supports amendment chains, point-in-time consolidation, and the EU’s 24-language all-authentic model.
• Case law — US federal court filings (PACER/CM/ECF), EU Court of Justice decisions, national court opinions. Supports sealed access, citation treatment signals, and docket container navigation.
• Patents — USPTO, EPO, and WIPO applications and grants. Supports kind codes, patent families, CPC classification, prosecution history, and legal status tracking.

Every field in this profile traces to an existing industry standard (ELI, CELEX, ECLI, Akoma Ntoso, WIPO ST.3/ST.16, CPC, INPADOC). No new identifier schemes are invented.

Normative references:

Standard	Source	Used for
ELI	EU Council, 2012	Legislation identifiers, ontology properties
CELEX	EUR-Lex	Language-independent document numbers
ECLI	EU Council, 2010	Case law identifiers across EU courts
Akoma Ntoso	OASIS LegalDocML v1.0	Document type vocabulary, FRBR levels
WIPO ST.3	WIPO	Patent country codes
WIPO ST.16	WIPO	Patent kind codes
CPC	EPO/USPTO	Patent classification
INPADOC	EPO	Patent legal status and family data
BCP 47	IETF	Language tags
ISO 3166-1	ISO	Jurisdiction codes

Profile Declaration

A Exchange declares support for this profile by including "ramp-legal-v1" in the supported_profiles field of its ExchangeManifest:

{
  "ver": "1.0",
  "domain": "legal.example.com",
  "name": "Legal Document Exchange",
  "supported_profiles": ["ramp-legal-v1"],
  "ext": {
    "legal.jurisdictions": ["EU", "US", "GB"],
    "legal.sub_domains": ["legislation", "case_law", "patents"]
  }
}

A Broker uses supported_profiles to route legal queries only to Exchanges that understand this vocabulary.

Field Naming Conventions

All extension keys use the legal. namespace prefix. Sub-domain-specific fields use a secondary prefix:

Prefix	Scope
legal.*	Cross-domain (jurisdiction, document type, language)
legal.legislation.*	Legislation-specific (ELI, CELEX, consolidation)
legal.case.*	Case-law-specific (ECLI, docket, court, treatment)
legal.patent.*	Patent-specific (kind code, CPC, family, prosecution)

Values are strings unless otherwise noted. Dates use ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD). Arrays are JSON arrays of strings.

---

Identity Vocabulary (ResourceIdentity.ext)

These fields appear in Offer.identity.ext to identify legal resources for cross-Exchange deduplication.

Cross-domain identity

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Broker use
legal.jurisdiction	string	ISO 3166-1 / ELI	Issuing jurisdiction. ISO alpha-2 code, plus EU for EU institutions.	Filter offers by jurisdiction; route to jurisdiction-specific Exchanges.
legal.document_type	string	AKN root elements	Document type. Values: act, bill, amendment, judgment, order, opinion, patent_application, patent_grant, filing, docket, gazette.	Distinguish legislation from case law from patents in mixed results.
legal.date_document	string	ELI eli:date_document	Date of the document (adoption, decision, or filing). ISO 8601.	Temporal filtering; compare same document from different providers.

Legislation identity

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Broker use
legal.legislation.eli	string	ELI URI	Full ELI URI. Example: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj.	Canonical dedup key for EU legislation across Exchanges.
legal.legislation.celex	string	CELEX	CELEX number. Example: 32016R0679. Language-independent.	Dedup key; lookup in EUR-Lex SPARQL endpoint.
legal.legislation.urn_lex	string	RFC 9676	URN:LEX identifier. Example: urn:lex:eu:council:regulation:2016-04-27;679.	Alternative persistent identifier for non-EU legislation.
legal.legislation.official_journal_ref	string	OJ format	Official Journal reference. Example: OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1.	Verify publication provenance.

Case law identity

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Broker use
legal.case.ecli	string	ECLI	European Case Law Identifier. Example: ECLI:EU:C:2014:317.	Canonical dedup key for EU case law.
legal.case.docket_number	string	Court-specific	Case/docket number. Example: 1:24-cv-05432-JSR.	Dedup US federal cases; locate in PACER.
legal.case.court_id	string	ECLI court code / CourtListener ID	Court identifier. Example: scotus, ca9, nyed, C (CJEU), T (General Court).	Filter by court; determine precedential weight.
legal.case.neutral_citation	string	Vendor-neutral citation	Court-assigned citation. Example: [2024] UKSC 15, 2024 SCC 5.	Dedup UK/Canadian decisions.
legal.case.document_number	string	CM/ECF	Docket entry number within a case. Example: 45, 45-1.	Identify specific filing within a case container.

Patent identity

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Broker use
legal.patent.publication_number	string	WIPO ST.3 + number + ST.16	Full publication number with kind code. Example: EP3456789A1, US11234567B2.	Canonical dedup key for patent documents.
legal.patent.application_number	string	Country-specific	Application number. Example: 17/123,456 (US), EP21234567.8 (EP).	Link pre-grant and post-grant documents.
legal.patent.kind_code	string	WIPO ST.16	Kind code only. Example: A1, B2, U1.	Distinguish application from grant; select correct document stage.
legal.patent.country_code	string	WIPO ST.3	Patent office country. Example: US, EP, WO.	Filter by patent office.

Field count: 18 identity fields.

---

Query Vocabulary (ResourceQuery.ext)

These fields appear in ResourceQuery.ext to express legal-specific search constraints when querying a Exchange.

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Exchange behavior
legal.jurisdiction	string	ISO 3166-1	Restrict to a jurisdiction. Same key as identity.	Filter catalog to matching jurisdiction.
legal.document_type	string	AKN	Restrict to a document type.	Filter by document type.
legal.language_preferred	string	BCP 47	Preferred language version. Example: de.	Return offers in preferred language first; fall back to other available languages.
legal.date_from	string	ISO 8601	Documents dated on or after this date.	Temporal range filter (lower bound).
legal.date_to	string	ISO 8601	Documents dated on or before this date.	Temporal range filter (upper bound).
legal.legislation.in_force_at	string	ISO 8601	Return the version in force at this date.	Select point-in-time consolidated version.
legal.case.court_id	string	ECLI / CL ID	Restrict to a specific court.	Filter case law offers by court.
legal.case.court_level	string	Hierarchy	Court tier. Values: supreme, appellate, trial, administrative.	Filter by precedential weight.
legal.patent.cpc_codes	array	CPC	Classification codes to match. Example: ["H04L9/32"].	Filter patents by technology area.
legal.patent.status	string	INPADOC	Patent status filter. Values: alive, dead, transitional.	Return only active or expired patents.

Field count: 10 query fields.

---

Offer Metadata (Offer.ext)

These fields appear in Offer.ext to describe legal-specific properties of an offered resource.

Cross-domain offer metadata

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Agent use
legal.language	string	BCP 47	Language of this specific offer. Example: fr.	Select language version; compare with language_preferred.
legal.available_languages	array	BCP 47	All language versions available for the same resource. Example: ["en","fr","de","es"].	Discover alternative languages; request additional versions.
legal.editorial_tier	string	Publisher distinction	Content enrichment level. Values: raw (government/official source), enhanced (publisher value-add: cross-references, summaries), annotated (full editorial: headnotes, commentary).	Compare free raw vs paid enhanced; justify cost difference.
legal.copyright_status	string	17 USC 105 / OGL / EU reuse decision	Copyright status. Values: public_domain, crown_copyright_ogl, publisher_copyright, database_right.	Determine reuse rights; assess training eligibility.
legal.format_standard	string	Various	Underlying format. Values: akn, akn4eu, formex, uslm, clml, pdf_a.	Select machine-parseable format (AKN) over PDF for extraction.

Legislation offer metadata

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Agent use
legal.legislation.in_force	string	ELI eli:in_force	Force status. Values: in_force, not_in_force, partially_in_force.	Skip repealed legislation; flag partially-in-force acts.
legal.legislation.consolidation_status	string	ELI lifecycle	Version type. Values: original (as adopted), consolidated (incorporating amendments to a date), amended (an amending act itself).	Select consolidated for current law; original for legislative history.
legal.legislation.version_date	string	ELI eli:version_date	Point-in-time version date. Example: 2024-01-15.	Retrieve law as it stood on a specific date.
legal.legislation.amendment_of	string	ELI eli:amends	Identifier (ELI or CELEX) of the act this amends.	Navigate amendment chains backward.
legal.legislation.amended_by	array	ELI eli:amended_by	Identifiers of acts that amend this one.	Navigate amendment chains forward.
legal.legislation.date_entry_into_force	string	ELI	When the legislation entered into force. ISO 8601.	Determine temporal applicability.

Case law offer metadata

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Agent use
legal.case.access_level	string	US court rules	Access restriction. Values: public, sealed, restricted, redacted.	Skip sealed content; understand redacted limitations.
legal.case.decision_type	string	ECLI metadata / AKN	Type of judicial action. Values: judgment, order, opinion, slip_opinion.	Distinguish final decisions from procedural orders.
legal.case.treatment	string	Shepard’s/KeyCite concepts	Subsequent treatment signal. Values: positive, caution, negative, overruled.	Avoid relying on overruled precedent; flag questionable authority.
legal.case.filing_type	string	CM/ECF categories	Type of court filing. Values: complaint, answer, motion, brief, opinion, order, transcript, exhibit.	Select specific filing types from a case docket.

Patent offer metadata

Key	Type	Standard	Description	Agent use
legal.patent.status	string	INPADOC	Legal status. Values: alive, dead, transitional, indeterminate.	Filter out expired/abandoned patents.
legal.patent.cpc_codes	array	CPC	Classification codes. Example: ["H04L9/32","G06F21/64"].	Assess technology area; find related patents.
legal.patent.content_part	string	WIPO ST.96	Which part of the patent this offer covers. Values: full, biblio, description, claims, abstract, drawings, file_wrapper.	Select specific sections (claims-only is cheaper than full).
legal.patent.expiration_date	string	Calculated from filing + 20yr + PTA	Estimated expiration date. ISO 8601.	Assess remaining patent life.
legal.patent.family_members	array	INPADOC simple family	Publication numbers of family members. Example: ["US11234567B2","EP3456789B1","WO2020123456A1"].	Navigate patent family; find equivalent grants in other jurisdictions.

Field count: 20 offer fields.

---

Attestation Claims (ResourceAttestation.claims)

These are recommended claim keys for ResourceAttestation.claims in the legal domain. Attestation verifiers (e.g., EUR-Lex, USPTO, Westlaw) include these in their signed claim envelopes.

Claim key	Type	Description	Verifier examples
legal.authority_level	string	Source authority. Values: official (government publisher), commercial_enhanced (publisher with value-add), aggregator (third-party aggregator like CourtListener).	EUR-Lex attests official; LexisNexis attests commercial_enhanced.
legal.consolidation_verified	boolean	Whether the consolidated text has been verified against all amending acts.	EUR-Lex attests true for consolidations it publishes.
legal.consolidation_date	string	Date through which amendments are incorporated. ISO 8601.	Wolters Kluwer attests the consolidation currency date.
legal.ocr_confidence	number	OCR quality score (0.0-1.0) for scanned documents.	PACER aggregator attests OCR quality for older filings.
legal.text_extractable	boolean	Whether full text can be reliably extracted (vs. image-only PDF).	CourtListener attests based on PDF/A conformance level.
legal.authenticity	string	Language version status. Values: authentic (legally binding), machine_translated, unofficial_translation.	EUR-Lex attests authentic for all 24 official language versions.
legal.patent.examination_status	string	Patent examination stage. Values: searched, examined, granted, opposed.	EPO OPS attests based on register data.
legal.patent.maintenance_current	boolean	Whether maintenance fees are paid and patent is in good standing.	USPTO attests based on fee payment records.

Field count: 8 attestation claims.

---

Dispute Extensions (DisputeRequest.ext)

These fields appear in DisputeRequest.ext to provide domain-specific evidence for legal content disputes.

Key	Type	Description	Example
legal.dispute.expected_language	string	Language agent expected (from offer).	"de"
legal.dispute.received_language	string	Language actually received.	"fr"
legal.dispute.expected_version_date	string	Point-in-time version requested.	"2024-01-15"
legal.dispute.received_version_date	string	Version date of content actually delivered.	"2020-06-01"
legal.dispute.expected_content_part	string	Patent section expected.	"file_wrapper"
legal.dispute.received_content_part	string	Patent section actually received.	"claims"
legal.dispute.sealed_unexpected	boolean	Content was sealed/restricted when offer indicated public.	true

Field count: 7 dispute fields.

---

Legislation Modeling

Document lifecycle

EU legislation follows a lifecycle from proposal to repeal. RAMP-Legal models this through the offer metadata fields:

Bill (status=pending) --> Adopted (in_force=in_force, consolidation_status=original)
    --> Amended (amendment_of links to amended act)
    --> Consolidated (consolidation_status=consolidated, version_date=point-in-time)
    --> Repealed (in_force=not_in_force)

Amendment chains

An amendment chain is a sequence of legislative acts where each amends one or more previous acts. The Broker reconstructs the chain using legal.legislation.amendment_of (backward pointer) and legal.legislation.amended_by (forward pointers).

For example, the GDPR (Regulation 2016/679) as consolidated on 2024-01-15:

• The amendment_of field is absent (it is a base act, not an amendment).
• The amended_by field lists identifiers of any amending regulations.
• The consolidation_status is consolidated.
• The version_date is 2024-01-15.

Consolidation

EUR-Lex provides consolidated texts at specific dates. The agent selects the appropriate version by querying with legal.legislation.in_force_at. The Exchange returns offers with version_date matching the requested point in time.

The ResourceMutability for published official legislation is STATIC (the Official Journal publication never changes). For consolidated versions, it is DYNAMIC (the consolidation is recomputed as new amendments are adopted).

ELI FRBR levels

ELI distinguishes three FRBR levels. RAMP maps these to separate offers:

FRBR Level	ELI term	RAMP representation
Work	eli:LegalResource	The abstract act, identified by legal.legislation.eli at the Work level.
Expression	eli:LegalExpression	A language version, identified by legal.language + legal.legislation.version_date. Each expression is a separate Offer.
Manifestation	eli:Format	A file format (PDF, AKN XML, HTML). Mapped to the Offer’s content_type field.

---

Case Law Modeling

US federal court filings

A US federal case is a container (docket) with many filings. RAMP models each filing as a separate resource (separate URI, separate Offer), with the docket number as a linking key:

• Docket container: Not an offer itself, but discoverable via legal.case.docket_number. The Broker queries with this docket number and receives offers for individual filings.
• Individual filing: Each filing has its own URI. legal.case.document_number identifies it within the docket. legal.case.filing_type describes what kind of filing it is.

Sealed and restricted access

Court-restricted documents use legal.case.access_level:

Value	Meaning	RAMP behavior
public	Available to all.	Normal transaction flow.
sealed	Not available; court order required.	Exchange returns CONTENT_BLOCKED as OfferAbsenceReason.
restricted	Available with credentials.	Offer includes AccessRestrictions requiring specific allowed_users or credentials.
redacted	Public version with redactions.	Normal transaction; legal.case.access_level signals incompleteness.

EU case law (ECLI)

CJEU decisions are identified by ECLI. The language of the case (legal.case.language_of_case) is the only authentic version. Other language versions are translations, marked with legal.authenticity = "unofficial_translation" in attestation claims.

Citation treatment

The legal.case.treatment field provides a simplified version of Shepard’s/KeyCite signals. A Broker or agent uses this to assess whether a case is still good law:

Value	Meaning	Agent action
positive	Followed, affirmed, approved.	Safe to rely on.
caution	Distinguished, criticized, questioned.	Review carefully; may not apply.
negative	Reversed, vacated on different grounds.	Do not rely on without further analysis.
overruled	Expressly overruled by a later case.	Do not cite as authority.

---

Patent Modeling

Patent document types

A single patent number maps to multiple document types, each potentially a separate offer:

content_part value	Description	Typical format	Pricing
full	Complete patent document.	PDF, XML	Per patent
biblio	Bibliographic data only (title, inventors, dates, CPC).	JSON, XML	Often free
description	Technical description/specification.	Text	Per page
claims	Patent claims (legal scope).	Text	Per page
abstract	Abstract only.	Text	Free
drawings	Technical drawings.	TIFF, PDF	Per page
file_wrapper	Full prosecution history (office actions, responses, amendments).	PDF collection	Per document

Kind codes

Kind codes (WIPO ST.16) identify the stage of patent processing:

Code	Meaning	ResourceMutability
A1	Published application (USPTO) / Application with search report (EPO)	STATIC
A2	Republished application (USPTO) / Application without search report (EPO)	STATIC
B1	Granted patent (no prior pub, USPTO) / Granted patent (EPO)	STATIC
B2	Granted patent (had prior pub, USPTO) / Amended after opposition (EPO)	STATIC

Patent families

The legal.patent.family_members field lists publication numbers of family members (same invention filed in multiple patent offices). A Broker uses this to:

1. Find equivalent patents in a target jurisdiction.
2. Compare pricing across offices (USPTO free vs. commercial enriched).
3. Build a complete picture of global patent protection.

Legal status lifecycle

Filed (status=alive) --> Published A1 (status=alive) --> Examined (status=alive)
    --> Granted B1/B2 (status=alive) --> Maintenance (status=alive)
    --> Expired/Abandoned/Revoked (status=dead)

The legal.patent.status field reflects the current INPADOC-derived status. legal.patent.expiration_date gives the calculated expiry (filing date + 20 years + PTA for US, adjusted for terminal disclaimers).

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Multilingual Support

The EU all-authentic model

All 24 official EU language versions of legislation are equally authentic (legally binding). This means:

1. A query for legal.legislation.celex = "32016R0679" (the GDPR) may return up to 24 offers, one per language.
2. Each offer carries legal.language with the BCP 47 code.
3. Each offer carries legal.available_languages listing all available versions.
4. The Broker selects based on the agent’s legal.language_preferred from the query.

Language preference resolution

When an agent specifies legal.language_preferred:

1. Exchange SHOULD return the preferred language first.
2. If unavailable, Exchange SHOULD return offers in available languages, sorted by: (a) English, (b) French, (c) German, (d) remaining alphabetically.
3. Each offer’s legal.language indicates what it actually is.

Authenticity status

The legal.authenticity attestation claim distinguishes:

Value	Meaning	Legal weight
authentic	Official language version adopted by the issuing authority. All 24 EU legislation versions are authentic.	Full legal standing.
machine_translated	Machine translation (e.g., eTranslation). Not legally binding.	For comprehension only.
unofficial_translation	Human translation not adopted as official.	Informational; no legal standing.

Case law language rules

Case law is more restrictive than legislation:

• CJEU: Authentic only in the language of the case. All other versions are translations.
• US federal courts: English only (no multilingual concern).
• UK courts: English (Welsh for some Welsh proceedings).

The legal.case.language_of_case field identifies the authentic language for EU case law.

---

Content Lifecycle

Legislation

Event	Offer fields affected	ResourceMutability
Initial adoption	consolidation_status=original, in_force=in_force	STATIC
Amendment adopted	New offer for the amending act with amendment_of pointing to amended act	STATIC
Consolidation updated	consolidation_status=consolidated, version_date updated	DYNAMIC
Correction published	New offer for corrigendum; original offer unchanged	STATIC
Repeal	in_force=not_in_force on subsequent queries	STATIC

Case law

Event	Offer fields affected	ResourceMutability
Slip opinion published	decision_type=slip_opinion	STATIC
Final opinion published	decision_type=judgment (replaces slip)	STATIC
Appealed	No change to original offer; new docket created at appellate court	N/A
Affirmed/Reversed	treatment updated on subsequent queries	STATIC (opinion text unchanged)
Overruled	treatment=overruled on subsequent queries	STATIC

Patents

Event	Offer fields affected	ResourceMutability
Application published (A1)	kind_code=A1, status=alive	STATIC
Patent granted (B2)	New offer with kind_code=B2, status=alive	STATIC
Maintenance fee missed	status=dead	STATIC (document unchanged)
Patent expired	status=dead, expiration_date in the past	STATIC
File wrapper updated	New prosecution document added	DYNAMIC (collection grows)

---

Behavioral Conventions

ResourceMutability mapping

Legal content type	ResourceMutability	Rationale
Published legislation (Official Journal)	STATIC	OJ publication never changes.
Consolidated legislation (point-in-time)	DYNAMIC	Recomputed as new amendments are adopted.
Court opinions (final)	STATIC	Published opinions are immutable.
Docket metadata	DYNAMIC	New filings are continuously added.
Published patent document (A1, B2)	STATIC	Published patents never change.
Prosecution history (file wrapper)	DYNAMIC	New documents accumulate over time.

Delivery methods

Content type	Recommended delivery	Unit
Legislation (single act)	DIRECT (signed URL to PDF/AKN XML)	pages or tokens
Case law filing (single document)	DIRECT (signed URL to PDF)	pages
Patent (single section)	DIRECT (signed URL to PDF/XML/TIFF)	pages
Docket sheet (case metadata)	DIRECT (signed URL to JSON/PDF)	records
File wrapper (prosecution history)	DIRECT (signed URL to ZIP/PDF collection)	items
Consolidated legislation bundle	INSTRUCTIONS (provider API endpoint)	pages

Pricing conventions

Content type	Typical pricing model	Typical unit
Government raw text (EUR-Lex, USPTO bulk)	PRICING_MODEL_FREE	N/A
PACER document	PER_PAGE ($0.10/page, $3.00 cap)	pages
Commercial legal database (Westlaw, LexisNexis)	PER_ARTICLE or SUBSCRIPTION	tokens or items
Patent (from commercial aggregator)	PER_ARTICLE	items
Annotated legislation (Wolters Kluwer)	PER_ARTICLE	items

---

Examples

Example 1: EU Regulation Offer (GDPR, German version)

An offer from an Exchange connected to EUR-Lex, providing the GDPR in German:

{
  "offer_id": "off-gdpr-de-001",
  "pricing": {
    "model": "PRICING_MODEL_FREE",
    "unit_cost": 0,
    "unit": "pages"
  },
  "delivery_method": "DELIVERY_METHOD_DIRECT",
  "identity": {
    "canonical_url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/deu",
    "content_hash": "sha256:a3f8c2...",
    "hash_method": "sha256",
    "resource_mutability": "RESOURCE_MUTABILITY_STATIC",
    "ext": {
      "legal.jurisdiction": "EU",
      "legal.document_type": "act",
      "legal.date_document": "2016-04-27",
      "legal.legislation.eli": "http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj",
      "legal.legislation.celex": "32016R0679",
      "legal.legislation.official_journal_ref": "OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1"
    }
  },
  "attestations": [
    {
      "verifier": "eur-lex.europa.eu",
      "attested_at": "2025-03-01T00:00:00Z",
      "uri": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/deu",
      "claims": {
        "legal.authority_level": "official",
        "legal.authenticity": "authentic",
        "legal.text_extractable": true
      }
    }
  ],
  "ext": {
    "legal.language": "de",
    "legal.available_languages": ["bg","hr","cs","da","nl","en","et","fi","fr","de","el","hu","ga","it","lv","lt","mt","pl","pt","ro","sk","sl","es","sv"],
    "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
    "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
    "legal.format_standard": "akn4eu",
    "legal.legislation.in_force": "in_force",
    "legal.legislation.consolidation_status": "original",
    "legal.legislation.date_entry_into_force": "2018-05-25"
  }
}

Example 2: PACER Court Filing

An offer from a Legal Exchange for a specific filing in a Southern District of New York case:

{
  "offer_id": "off-pacer-sdny-45",
  "pricing": {
    "model": "PRICING_MODEL_PER_PAGE",
    "unit_cost": 0.10,
    "estimated_quantity": 12,
    "unit": "pages",
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "delivery_method": "DELIVERY_METHOD_DIRECT",
  "identity": {
    "canonical_url": "https://ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/doc1/12345678901",
    "content_hash": "sha256:b7e4d1...",
    "hash_method": "sha256",
    "resource_mutability": "RESOURCE_MUTABILITY_STATIC",
    "ext": {
      "legal.jurisdiction": "US",
      "legal.document_type": "filing",
      "legal.date_document": "2024-11-15",
      "legal.case.docket_number": "1:24-cv-05432-JSR",
      "legal.case.court_id": "nyed",
      "legal.case.document_number": "45"
    }
  },
  "attestations": [
    {
      "verifier": "courtlistener.com",
      "attested_at": "2025-01-20T14:30:00Z",
      "uri": "https://ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/doc1/12345678901",
      "claims": {
        "legal.authority_level": "aggregator",
        "legal.ocr_confidence": 0.98,
        "legal.text_extractable": true
      }
    }
  ],
  "ext": {
    "legal.language": "en",
    "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
    "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
    "legal.case.access_level": "public",
    "legal.case.filing_type": "motion"
  }
}

Example 3: USPTO Patent (Granted)

An offer for a granted US patent from a commercial patent aggregator:

{
  "offer_id": "off-patent-us11234567",
  "pricing": {
    "model": "PRICING_MODEL_PER_ARTICLE",
    "unit_cost": 5.00,
    "estimated_quantity": 1,
    "unit": "items",
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "delivery_method": "DELIVERY_METHOD_DIRECT",
  "identity": {
    "canonical_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11234567B2",
    "content_hash": "sha256:c9a2f3...",
    "hash_method": "sha256",
    "resource_mutability": "RESOURCE_MUTABILITY_STATIC",
    "ext": {
      "legal.jurisdiction": "US",
      "legal.document_type": "patent_grant",
      "legal.date_document": "2023-06-15",
      "legal.patent.publication_number": "US11234567B2",
      "legal.patent.application_number": "17/123,456",
      "legal.patent.kind_code": "B2",
      "legal.patent.country_code": "US"
    }
  },
  "attestations": [
    {
      "verifier": "data.uspto.gov",
      "attested_at": "2025-02-15T00:00:00Z",
      "uri": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11234567B2",
      "claims": {
        "legal.authority_level": "official",
        "legal.patent.examination_status": "granted",
        "legal.patent.maintenance_current": true,
        "legal.text_extractable": true
      }
    }
  ],
  "ext": {
    "legal.language": "en",
    "legal.editorial_tier": "enhanced",
    "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
    "legal.patent.status": "alive",
    "legal.patent.cpc_codes": ["H04L9/32", "G06F21/64"],
    "legal.patent.content_part": "full",
    "legal.patent.expiration_date": "2041-03-20",
    "legal.patent.family_members": ["EP3456789B1", "WO2020123456A1", "JP2022567890A"]
  }
}

Example 4: Multilingual Legislation Query and Response

A Broker queries for the GDPR consolidated version as of 2024-01-15, preferring German:

ResourceQuery.ext:

{
  "legal.jurisdiction": "EU",
  "legal.document_type": "act",
  "legal.language_preferred": "de",
  "legal.legislation.in_force_at": "2024-01-15"
}

The Exchange returns an OfferGroup with two offers — one free from EUR-Lex, one paid annotated from a commercial publisher:

OfferGroup:

{
  "uri": "http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/2024-01-15",
  "offers": [
    {
      "offer_id": "off-eurlex-gdpr-de-consol",
      "pricing": { "model": "PRICING_MODEL_FREE", "unit_cost": 0 },
      "ext": {
        "legal.language": "de",
        "legal.available_languages": ["bg","hr","cs","da","nl","en","et","fi","fr","de","el","hu","ga","it","lv","lt","mt","pl","pt","ro","sk","sl","es","sv"],
        "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
        "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
        "legal.format_standard": "akn4eu",
        "legal.legislation.in_force": "in_force",
        "legal.legislation.consolidation_status": "consolidated",
        "legal.legislation.version_date": "2024-01-15",
        "legal.legislation.date_entry_into_force": "2018-05-25"
      }
    },
    {
      "offer_id": "off-wk-gdpr-de-annotated",
      "pricing": { "model": "PRICING_MODEL_PER_ARTICLE", "unit_cost": 75.00, "unit": "items", "currency": "EUR" },
      "ext": {
        "legal.language": "de",
        "legal.available_languages": ["en", "fr", "de"],
        "legal.editorial_tier": "annotated",
        "legal.copyright_status": "publisher_copyright",
        "legal.legislation.in_force": "in_force",
        "legal.legislation.consolidation_status": "consolidated",
        "legal.legislation.version_date": "2024-01-15",
        "legal.legislation.date_entry_into_force": "2018-05-25"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The Broker sees: free raw text from EUR-Lex vs. 75 EUR annotated version from Wolters Kluwer. The agent decides if the annotations are worth the cost.

Example 5: Patent Amendment Chain Scenario

An agent researches a patent that has been through opposition at the EPO. The original application (A1), the granted patent (B1), and the amended patent after opposition (B2) are three separate offers:

Three offers in an OfferGroup:

{
  "uri": "https://data.epo.org/publication-server/rest/v1.2/publication-data/EP3456789",
  "offers": [
    {
      "offer_id": "off-ep-3456789-a1",
      "pricing": { "model": "PRICING_MODEL_FREE", "unit_cost": 0 },
      "identity": {
        "ext": {
          "legal.jurisdiction": "EP",
          "legal.document_type": "patent_application",
          "legal.date_document": "2019-03-15",
          "legal.patent.publication_number": "EP3456789A1",
          "legal.patent.kind_code": "A1",
          "legal.patent.country_code": "EP"
        }
      },
      "ext": {
        "legal.language": "en",
        "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
        "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
        "legal.patent.status": "dead",
        "legal.patent.content_part": "full",
        "legal.patent.cpc_codes": ["H04L9/32"]
      }
    },
    {
      "offer_id": "off-ep-3456789-b1",
      "identity": {
        "ext": {
          "legal.jurisdiction": "EP",
          "legal.document_type": "patent_grant",
          "legal.date_document": "2021-07-20",
          "legal.patent.publication_number": "EP3456789B1",
          "legal.patent.kind_code": "B1",
          "legal.patent.country_code": "EP"
        }
      },
      "ext": {
        "legal.language": "en",
        "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
        "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
        "legal.patent.status": "dead",
        "legal.patent.content_part": "full",
        "legal.patent.cpc_codes": ["H04L9/32"]
      }
    },
    {
      "offer_id": "off-ep-3456789-b2",
      "identity": {
        "ext": {
          "legal.jurisdiction": "EP",
          "legal.document_type": "patent_grant",
          "legal.date_document": "2023-01-10",
          "legal.patent.publication_number": "EP3456789B2",
          "legal.patent.kind_code": "B2",
          "legal.patent.country_code": "EP"
        }
      },
      "attestations": [
        {
          "verifier": "ops.epo.org",
          "attested_at": "2025-03-01T00:00:00Z",
          "uri": "https://data.epo.org/publication-server/rest/v1.2/publication-data/EP3456789B2",
          "claims": {
            "legal.authority_level": "official",
            "legal.patent.examination_status": "opposed",
            "legal.patent.maintenance_current": true
          }
        }
      ],
      "ext": {
        "legal.language": "en",
        "legal.editorial_tier": "raw",
        "legal.copyright_status": "public_domain",
        "legal.patent.status": "alive",
        "legal.patent.content_part": "full",
        "legal.patent.cpc_codes": ["H04L9/32"],
        "legal.patent.expiration_date": "2039-03-15",
        "legal.patent.family_members": ["US11234567B2", "WO2020123456A1", "JP2022567890A"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

The agent sees the progression: A1 (published application) -> B1 (granted, now superseded) -> B2 (amended after opposition, currently alive). Only B2 represents the current scope of protection.

Example 6: Dispute — Wrong Language Delivered

An agent requested the German version of an EU directive but received French:

{
  "ver": "1.0",
  "id": "disp-lang-001",
  "transaction_id": "txn-eurlex-dir-2024",
  "billing_id": "bill-eurlex-dir-2024",
  "reason": "DISPUTE_REASON_CONTENT_MISMATCH",
  "description": "Requested German language version but received French language version of Directive 2024/1234.",
  "report_id": "rpt-eurlex-dir-2024",
  "ext": {
    "legal.dispute.expected_language": "de",
    "legal.dispute.received_language": "fr"
  }
}

Example 7: Dispute — Stale Consolidation

An agent requested legislation consolidated as of 2024-01-15 but received a version consolidated only through 2020-06-01:

{
  "ver": "1.0",
  "id": "disp-version-002",
  "transaction_id": "txn-wk-reg-2024",
  "billing_id": "bill-wk-reg-2024",
  "reason": "DISPUTE_REASON_CONTENT_MISMATCH",
  "description": "Requested consolidation as of 2024-01-15 but received version consolidated through 2020-06-01 only. Three amending regulations are missing.",
  "report_id": "rpt-wk-reg-2024",
  "ext": {
    "legal.dispute.expected_version_date": "2024-01-15",
    "legal.dispute.received_version_date": "2020-06-01"
  }
}

---

Field Summary

Category	Count	Fields
Identity (ResourceIdentity.ext)	18	legal.jurisdiction, legal.document_type, legal.date_document, legal.legislation.eli, legal.legislation.celex, legal.legislation.urn_lex, legal.legislation.official_journal_ref, legal.case.ecli, legal.case.docket_number, legal.case.court_id, legal.case.neutral_citation, legal.case.document_number, legal.patent.publication_number, legal.patent.application_number, legal.patent.kind_code, legal.patent.country_code, legal.case.language_of_case, legal.legislation.akn_iri
Query (ResourceQuery.ext)	10	legal.jurisdiction, legal.document_type, legal.language_preferred, legal.date_from, legal.date_to, legal.legislation.in_force_at, legal.case.court_id, legal.case.court_level, legal.patent.cpc_codes, legal.patent.status
Offer (Offer.ext)	20	legal.language, legal.available_languages, legal.editorial_tier, legal.copyright_status, legal.format_standard, legal.legislation.in_force, legal.legislation.consolidation_status, legal.legislation.version_date, legal.legislation.amendment_of, legal.legislation.amended_by, legal.legislation.date_entry_into_force, legal.case.access_level, legal.case.decision_type, legal.case.treatment, legal.case.filing_type, legal.patent.status, legal.patent.cpc_codes, legal.patent.content_part, legal.patent.expiration_date, legal.patent.family_members
Attestation (ResourceAttestation.claims)	8	legal.authority_level, legal.consolidation_verified, legal.consolidation_date, legal.ocr_confidence, legal.text_extractable, legal.authenticity, legal.patent.examination_status, legal.patent.maintenance_current
Dispute (DisputeRequest.ext)	7	legal.dispute.expected_language, legal.dispute.received_language, legal.dispute.expected_version_date, legal.dispute.received_version_date, legal.dispute.expected_content_part, legal.dispute.received_content_part, legal.dispute.sealed_unexpected
Exchange (ExchangeManifest.ext)	2	legal.jurisdictions, legal.sub_domains
Total	60	43 core vocabulary (identity + query + offer, deduplicated) + 8 attestation + 7 dispute + 2 Exchange. 5 keys are shared across core categories.

---

Normative References

• ELI Ontology — European Legislation Identifier
• CELEX Numbers — EUR-Lex document identifiers
• ECLI — European Case Law Identifier
• URN:LEX (RFC 9676) — Persistent legal resource URN namespace
• Akoma Ntoso v1.0 — OASIS LegalDocML vocabulary
• AKN Naming Convention — AKN IRI structure
• WIPO ST.3 — Country codes for patent offices
• WIPO ST.16 — Kind codes for patent documents
• CPC — Cooperative Patent Classification
• Schema.org Legislation — Web-deployed legislation properties
• INPADOC — Patent legal status data
• BCP 47 — Language tags
• ISO 3166-1 — Country codes