Design Patterns¶
Ontology design patterns (ODPs) are small, reusable modeling solutions to recurring problems in representing legal reality. Member ontologies are expected to use Foundry patterns where they apply, or to document why they depart from them (see principle LOF-P-004).
The first four patterns build on one another:
| Pattern | Title | Depends on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOF-ODP-001 | Legal Act and Legal Document | BFO | draft |
| LOF-ODP-002 | Legal Role Conferral | ODP-001 | draft |
| LOF-ODP-003 | Correlative Deontic Positions | ODP-001 | draft, placement decision open |
| LOF-ODP-004 | Minimum Legal Chain | ODP-001, 002, 003 | draft, placement-neutral |
A worked example, a residential lease, runs through all four.
New patterns follow the pattern template.