Epistemic Immunity: A Binary Diagnostic Test For Structural Conceptual Appropriation

The health of an intellectual ecosystem depends on its capacity to distinguish between original contributions and derivative reformulations. This paper introduces the CLEO Verification Protocol v1.0, a binary diagnostic tool designed to determine whether a conceptual framework is structurally derivative of a pioneer conceptual innovation. The protocol is grounded in the concept of Epistemic Immunity: the capacity of a sovereign research program to establish clear, objective boundaries between its own conceptual architecture and that of later, unacknowledged reproductions. Rather than relying on proof of access, knowledge, or intent, the protocol operates on a set of formal, binary conceptual signatures that capture the constitutive core of the original innovation. This paper presents the logical structure of the protocol, its theoretical foundation in the concept of Epistemic Immunity, and its first field of application: the Evolutio Unfolding Theory (EUT). The case of Michael Levin's "Platonic Space" framework (2025) is presented as the first documented application of the protocol, demonstrating its capacity to discriminate between different degrees of structural reproduction while maintaining a binary, evidence-based standard. The protocol is offered as a permanent, objective instrument for the verification of conceptual lineage, and as a methodological contribution to the broader problem of conceptual attribution in science.