Stathmos defines and keeps open standards for shared civic space — and holds each one to a single meaning.
A standard is only as trustworthy as the body that keeps it. Stathmos exists to define, publish, and protect open standards for shared public and civic space — and to keep them free, unmodified, and out of the market.
The name is old: σταθμός — a standard weight against which others are measured, and a station where travelers rest. Both senses hold. Stathmos keeps the measure, and tends the commons it describes.
Each standard it issues carries its own public mark. The organization stays in the background; the mark does the work on the door.
The first standard. Others may follow; none are announced.
Stathmos issues; the mark identifies. The 4th Place placard is what a venue displays and a patron recognizes; Stathmos is the body that defines the standard behind it and protects its meaning. Two names doing two jobs — the model UL Solutions uses with the UL Mark.
In perpetuity, Stathmos commits to:
- Free public access to every standard, its marks, and its directory.
- No advertising on any property it operates.
- No paid placement, sponsored listing, or premium tier.
- No sale or licensing of a mark for commercial use unrelated to compliance.
- Transparent, versioned governance: proposals, comments, and decisions published.
Stathmos is an informal project, founded in Salamanca in 2026. Should it incorporate as a non-profit, these commitments will be written into its governing documents.