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<h1>W3C Draft Process Document</h1>
<h2 class="notoc">21 December 2014 Editor's Draft</h2>
<dl>
<dt>Latest Editor's version:</dt>
<dd> <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html">https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html</a></dd>
<dt>Latest operative version:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/</a></dd>
<dt>Previous operative version:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.w3.org/2005/10/Process-20051014/">14 October
2005 Process</a></dd>
<dt>Editor:</dt>
<dd>Charles McCathie Nevile, <a style="color:black" href="http://yandex.com"><span
style="color: red;">Y</span>andex</a>—<a
style="color:black"
href="http://yandex.ru"><span
style="color: red;">Я</span>ндекс</a></dd>
<dt>Previous editor:</dt>
<dd>Ian Jacobs, <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C</a></dd>
</dl>
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© 1996-2014 <a href="/"><abbr title="World Wide Web Consortium">W3C</abbr></a><sup>®</sup>
(<a href="http://www.csail.mit.edu/"><abbr title="Massachusetts Institute of Technology">MIT</abbr></a>,
<a href="http://www.ercim.eu/"><abbr title="European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics">ERCIM</abbr></a>,
<a href="http://www.keio.ac.jp/">Keio</a>, <a href="http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/">Beihang</a>),
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<h1>W3C Draft Process Document</h1>
<h2 class="notoc">11 January 2015 Editor's Draft</h2>
<dl>
<dt>Latest Editor's version:</dt>
<dd> <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html">https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/raw-file/default/cover.html</a></dd>
<dt>Latest operative version:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/</a></dd>
<dt>Editor:</dt>
<dd>Charles McCathie Nevile, <a style="color:black" href="http://yandex.com"><span
style="color: red;">Y</span>andex</a>—<a
style="color:black"
href="http://yandex.ru"><span
style="color: red;">Я</span>ндекс</a></dd>
<dt>Previous editor:</dt>
<dd>Ian Jacobs, <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C</a></dd>
</dl>
<p class="copyright"><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#Copyright">Copyright</a>
© 1996-2014 <a href="/"><abbr title="World Wide Web Consortium">W3C</abbr></a><sup>®</sup>
(<a href="http://www.csail.mit.edu/"><abbr title="Massachusetts Institute of Technology">MIT</abbr></a>,
<a href="http://www.ercim.eu/"><abbr title="European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics">ERCIM</abbr></a>,
<a href="http://www.keio.ac.jp/">Keio</a>, <a href="http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/">Beihang</a>),
All Rights Reserved. W3C <a href="/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#Legal_Disclaimer">liability</a>,
<a href="/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#W3C_Trademarks">trademark</a>, <a
rel="Copyright"
href="/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">document
use</a> and <a rel="Copyright" href="/Consortium/Legal/copyright-software">software
- licensing</a> rules apply. Your interactions with this site are in
accordance with our <a href="/Consortium/Legal/privacy-statement#Public">public</a>
and <a href="/Consortium/Legal/privacy-statement#Members">Member</a>
privacy statements.</p>
<hr></div>
<h2 class="notoc"><a id="abstract">Abstract</a></h2>
<p>The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (<abbr>W3C</abbr>) is to
lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common
protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. The
W3C Process Document describes the organizational structure of the W3C and
the processes related to the responsibilities and functions they exercise
to enable W3C to accomplish its mission. This document does not describe
the internal workings of the Team or W3C's public communication
mechanisms.</p>
<p>For more information about the W3C mission and the history of W3C, please
refer to <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/">About W3C</a> [<a href="#ref-mission">PUB15</a>].</p>
<h2 class="notoc"><a id="status">Status of this Document</a></h2>
<p>W3C, including all existing chartered groups, follows the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">most
- recent operative Process Document</a> announced to the Membership.</p>
<p>This is the 21 December 2014 Editor's draft for the proposed next version
of the W3C Process Document. This document is based on the 30 September
review draft, itself based on the 1 August 2014 Process, developed between
the <a href="/2002/ab/">W3C Advisory Board</a> and the <a href="http://www.w3.org/community/w3process/">Revising
- W3C Process Community Group</a> and adopted as the currently operative
Process. </p>
<p>In <em>this draft</em>, Coordination Groups have been removed (<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/track/issues/129">Issue-129</a>),
along with some vestigial aspects of the Good Standing rules. A <a href="#changes">change
history</a> (compared to the 2014 Process Document) forms part of the
draft.</p>
<p>During the rest of 2014 the document will be developed in preparation for
adopting a revised process in 2015.</p>
<p>Public comment is invited on the draft. Please send comments about this
document to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/community/w3process/">Revising
W3C Process Community Group</a> (<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-w3process/">Mailing
+ licensing</a> rules apply. Your interactions with this site are in
accordance with our <a href="/Consortium/Legal/privacy-statement#Public">public</a>
and <a href="/Consortium/Legal/privacy-statement#Members">Member</a>
privacy statements.</p>
<hr></div>
<h2 class="notoc"><a id="abstract">Abstract</a></h2>
<p>The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (<abbr>W3C</abbr>) is to
lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common
protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. The
W3C Process Document describes the organizational structure of the W3C and
the processes related to the responsibilities and functions they exercise
to enable W3C to accomplish its mission. This document does not describe
the internal workings of the Team or W3C's public communication
mechanisms.</p>
<p>For more information about the W3C mission and the history of W3C, please
refer to <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/">About W3C</a> [<a href="#ref-mission">PUB15</a>].</p>
<h2 class="notoc" id="status">Status of this Document</h2>
<p>W3C, including all existing chartered groups, follows the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">most
+ recent operative Process Document</a> announced to the Membership.</p>
<p>This is the 11 January 2015 Editor's draft for the proposed next version
of the W3C Process Document. This document is based on the 30 September
review draft, itself based on the 1 August 2014 Process, developed between
the <a href="/2002/ab/">W3C Advisory Board</a> and the <a href="http://www.w3.org/community/w3process/">Revising
+ W3C Process Community Group</a> and adopted as the currently operative
Process. </p>
<p>In <em>this draft</em> various small editorial cleanups have been made.
A <a href="#changes">change history</a> (compared to the 2014 Process
Document) forms part of the draft.</p>
<p>During the rest of 2014 the document will be developed in preparation for
adopting a revised process in 2015.</p>
<p>Public comment is invited on the draft. Please send comments about this
document to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/community/w3process/">Revising
W3C Process Community Group</a> (<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-w3process/">Mailing
list archive</a>, publicly available) or to process-issues@w3.org (<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/process-issues">Member-only
archive</a>). A <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/track/">Public
- Issue Tracker</a> and <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/">detailed
changelogs</a> are available online. </p>
<h2 class="notoc"><a id="pp">Relation of Process Document to Patent Policy</a></h2>
<p>W3C Members' attention is called to the fact that provisions of the
Process Document are binding on Members per the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
+ Issue Tracker</a> and <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/">detailed
changelogs</a> are available online. </p>
<h2 class="notoc" id="pp">Relation of Process Document to Patent Policy</h2>
<p>W3C Members' attention is called to the fact that provisions of the
Process Document are binding on Members per the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
Agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-member-agreement">PUB6</a>]. The Patent
Policy <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent
Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>] is incorporated by
normative reference as a part of the Process Document, and is thus equally
binding.</p>
<p>The Patent Policy places additional obligations on Members, Team, and
other participants in W3C. The Process Document does not restate those
requirements but includes references to them. The Process Document and
Patent Policy have been designed so that they may evolve independently.</p>
<p>In the Process Document, the term "participant" refers to an individual,
not an organization.</p>
<h2 class=".notoc">Conformance and specialized terms</h2>
<p>The terms <em class="rfc2119">must</em>, <em class="rfc2119">must not</em>,
<em class="rfc2119">should</em>, <em class="rfc2119">should not</em>, <em
class="rfc2119">required</em>,
and <em class="rfc2119">may</em> are used in accordance with <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt">RFC
2119</a> [<a href="#ref-RFC2119">RFC2119</a>]. The term <dfn><em class="rfc2119">not
- required</em></dfn> is equivalent to the term <em class="rfc2119">may</em>
as defined in RFC 2119. </p>
<p>Some terms have been capitalized in this document (and in other W3C
materials) to indicate that they are entities with special relevance to
the W3C Process. These terms are defined herein, and readers should be
aware that the ordinary (English) definitions are incomplete for purposes
of understanding this document. </p>
<div class="toc" role="navigation">
<h2 class="notoc"><a id="toc">Table of Contents</a></h2>
<div class="noprint">
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Intro" class="tocxref">1 Introduction</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Organization" class="tocxref">2
Members, Advisory Committee, Team, Advisory Board, Technical
Architecture Group</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Policies" class="tocxref">3 General
Policies for W3C Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#dissemination" class="tocxref">4
Dissemination Policies</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><s>5 Activities</s></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAGeneral" class="tocxref">6 Working
Groups and Interest Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Reports" class="tocxref">7 W3C
Technical Report Development Process</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#ReviewAppeal" class="tocxref">8
Advisory Committee Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAEvents" class="tocxref">9 Workshops
and Symposia</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Liaisons" class="tocxref">10 Liaisons</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Submission" class="tocxref">11 Member
Submission Process</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAProcess" class="tocxref">12 Process
Evolution</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#references" class="tocxref">13
References</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#acks" class="tocxref">14
Acknowledgments</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#changes" class="tocxref">15 Changes</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="longtoc">
<div class="noprint">
<h3 class="notoc"><a id="fulltoc">Expanded table of contents</a></h3>
</div>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Intro">1 Introduction</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Organization">2 Members, Advisory
Committee, Team, Advisory Board, Technical Architecture Group</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Members">2.1 Members</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#MemberBenefits">2.1.1 Rights of
Members</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#MemberRelated">2.1.2 Related
Members</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AC">2.1.3 Advisory Committee (AC)</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Team">2.2 The W3C Team</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#TeamSubmission">2.2.1 Team
Submissions</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#AB">2.3 Advisory Board (AB)</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ABParticipation">2.3.1 Advisory
Board Participation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#TAG">2.4 Technical Architecture Group
(TAG)</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#tag-participation">2.4.1
Technical Architecture Group Participation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#AB-TAG-participation">2.5 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Participation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-constraints">2.5.1
Advisory Board and Technical Architecture Group
Participation Constraints</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-elections">2.5.2 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Elections</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-vacated">2.5.3 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Vacated Seats</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Policies">3 General Policies for W3C
Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ParticipationCriteria">3.1 Individual
Participation Criteria</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#coi">3.1.1 Conflict of Interest
Policy</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#member-rep">3.1.2 Individuals
Representing a Member Organization</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GeneralMeetings">3.2 Meetings</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Consensus">3.3 Consensus</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#managing-dissent">3.3.1 Managing
Dissent</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGArchiveMinorityViews">3.3.2
Recording and Reporting Formal Objections</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#formal-address">3.3.3 Formally
Addressing an Issue</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGChairReopen">3.3.4 Reopening a
Decision When Presented With New Information</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Votes">3.4 Votes</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#WGAppeals">3.5 Appeal of a Chair's
Decision</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#resignation">3.6 Resignation from a
Group</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#dissemination">4 Dissemination Policies</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#confidentiality-levels">4.1
Confidentiality Levels</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#confidentiality-change">4.1.1
Changing Confidentiality Level</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAGeneral">6 Working Groups and Interest
Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ReqsAllGroups">6.1 Requirements for
All Working and Interest Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsWG">6.2 Working Groups and
Interest Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#group-participation">6.2.1
Working Group and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharterDevelopment">6.2.2
Working Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CharterReview">6.2.3 Advisory
Committee Review of a Working Group or Interest Group
Charter</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#cfp">6.2.4 Call for Participation
in a Working Group or Interest Group</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#charter-extension">6.2.5 Working
Group and Interest Group Charter Extension</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharter">6.2.6 Working Group
and Interest Group Charters</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#GeneralTermination">6.2.8 Working
Group and Interest Group Closure</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Reports">7 W3C Technical Report
Development Process</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#rec-advance">7.1 W3C Technical Reports</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#recs-and-notes" id="return-to-wg">7.1.1
Recommendations and Notes</a></li>
<li><a href="#maturity-levels">7.1.2 Maturity Levels</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#requirements-and-definitions">7.2 General requirements
and definitions</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#general-requirements">7.2.1 General requirements
for Technical Reports</a></li>
<li><a href="#transition-reqs">7.2.2 Advancement on the
Recommendation Track</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#substantive-change">7.2.2.1 Substantive Change</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#doc-reviews">7.2.3 Reviews and Review
Responsibilities</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#wide-review">7.2.3.1 Wide Review</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#implementation-experience">7.2.4 Implementation
Experience</a> </li>
<li><a href="#correction-classes">7.2.5 Classes of Changes to a
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#working-draft">7.3 Working Draft</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#first-wd">7.3.1 First Public Working Draft</a></li>
<li><a href="#revised-wd">7.3.2 Revising Public Working Drafts</a></li>
<li><a href="#tr-end">7.3.3 Stopping work on a specification</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#candidate-rec" id="cfi">7.4 Candidate Recommendation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#revised-cr">7.4.1 Revising a Candidate
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li> <a href="#rec-pr" id="cfr">7.5 Proposed Recommendation</a></li>
<li> <a href="#rec-publication">7.6 W3C Recommendation</a></li>
<li><a href="#rec-modify">7.7 Modifying a W3C Recommendation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#errata">7.7.1 Errata Management</a></li>
<li><a href="#revised-rec" id="cfr-edited">7.7.2 Revising a
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#Note">7.8 Publishing a Working Group or Interest Group
Note</a></li>
<li><a href="#rec-rescind">7.9 Rescinding a W3C Recommendation</a></li>
<li><a href="#further-reading">Further reading</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#ReviewAppeal">8 Advisory Committee
Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACReview">8.1 Advisory Committee
Reviews</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ACReviewStart">8.1.1 Start of a
Review Period</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ACReviewAfter">8.1.2 After the
Review Period</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACAppeal">8.2 Appeal by Advisory
Committee Representatives</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACVotes">8.3 Advisory Committee Votes</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAEvents">9 Workshops and Symposia</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Liaisons">10 Liaisons</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Submission">11 Member Submission Process</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionRights">11.1 Submitter
Rights and Obligations</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#SubmissionScope">11.1.1 Scope of
Member Submissions</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#SubmissionReqs">11.1.2
Information Required in a Submission Request</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#TeamSubmissionRights">11.2 Team
Rights and Obligations</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionYes">11.3 Acknowledgment of
a Submission Request</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionNo">11.4 Rejection of a
Submission Request</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAProcess">12 Process Evolution</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#references">13 References</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#public-refs">13.1 Public Resources</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#member-refs">13.2 Member-only
Resources</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#other-refs">13.3 Other References</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#acks">14 Acknowledgments</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#changes">15 Changes</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div role="main">
<h2>1 <a id="Intro">Introduction</a></h2>
<p>Most W3C work revolves around the standardization of Web technologies.
To accomplish this work, W3C follows processes that promote the
development of high-quality standards based on the <a href="#Consensus">consensus</a>
of the Membership, Team, and public. W3C processes promote fairness,
responsiveness, and progress: all facets of the W3C mission. This
document describes the processes W3C follows in pursuit of its mission.</p>
<p>Here is a general overview of how W3C standardizes a Web technology. In
many cases, the goal of this work is a <a href="#RecsW3C">W3C
Recommendation</a>, the W3C equivalent of a Web standard.</p>
<ol>
<li>People generate interest in a particular topic (e.g., Web services).
For instance, Members express interest in the form of <a href="#Submission">Member
+ required</em></dfn> is equivalent to the term <em class="rfc2119">may</em>
as defined in RFC 2119. </p>
<p>Some terms have been capitalized in this document (and in other W3C
materials) to indicate that they are entities with special relevance to
the W3C Process. These terms are defined herein, and readers should be
aware that the ordinary (English) definitions are incomplete for purposes
of understanding this document. </p>
<div class="toc" role="navigation">
<h2 class="notoc" id="toc">Table of Contents</h2>
<div class="noprint">
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Intro" class="tocxref">1 Introduction</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Organization" class="tocxref">2
Members, Advisory Committee, Team, Advisory Board, Technical
Architecture Group</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Policies" class="tocxref">3 General
Policies for W3C Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#dissemination" class="tocxref">4
Dissemination Policies</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><s>5 Activities</s></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAGeneral" class="tocxref">6 Working
Groups and Interest Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Reports" class="tocxref">7 W3C
Technical Report Development Process</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#ReviewAppeal" class="tocxref">8
Advisory Committee Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAEvents" class="tocxref">9 Workshops
and Symposia</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Liaisons" class="tocxref">10 Liaisons</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Submission" class="tocxref">11 Member
Submission Process</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAProcess" class="tocxref">12 Process
Evolution</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#references" class="tocxref">13
References</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#acks" class="tocxref">14
Acknowledgments</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#changes" class="tocxref">15 Changes</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="longtoc">
<div class="noprint">
<h3 class="notoc" id="fulltoc">Expanded table of contents</h3>
</div>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Intro">1 Introduction</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Organization">2 Members, Advisory
Committee, Team, Advisory Board, Technical Architecture Group</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Members">2.1 Members</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#MemberBenefits">2.1.1 Rights of
Members</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#MemberRelated">2.1.2 Related
Members</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AC">2.1.3 Advisory Committee (AC)</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Team">2.2 The W3C Team</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#TeamSubmission">2.2.1 Team
Submissions</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#AB">2.3 Advisory Board (AB)</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ABParticipation">2.3.1 Advisory
Board Participation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#TAG">2.4 Technical Architecture Group
(TAG)</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#tag-participation">2.4.1
Technical Architecture Group Participation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#AB-TAG-participation">2.5 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Participation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-constraints">2.5.1
Advisory Board and Technical Architecture Group
Participation Constraints</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-elections">2.5.2 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Elections</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#AB-TAG-vacated">2.5.3 Advisory
Board and Technical Architecture Group Vacated Seats</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Policies">3 General Policies for W3C
Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ParticipationCriteria">3.1 Individual
Participation Criteria</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#coi">3.1.1 Conflict of Interest
Policy</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#member-rep">3.1.2 Individuals
Representing a Member Organization</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GeneralMeetings">3.2 Meetings</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Consensus">3.3 Consensus</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#managing-dissent">3.3.1 Managing
Dissent</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGArchiveMinorityViews">3.3.2
Recording and Reporting Formal Objections</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#formal-address">3.3.3 Formally
Addressing an Issue</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGChairReopen">3.3.4 Reopening a
Decision When Presented With New Information</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#Votes">3.4 Votes</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#WGAppeals">3.5 Appeal of a Chair's
Decision</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#resignation">3.6 Resignation from a
Group</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#dissemination">4 Dissemination Policies</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#confidentiality-levels">4.1
Confidentiality Levels</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#confidentiality-change">4.1.1
Changing Confidentiality Level</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAGeneral">6 Working Groups and Interest
Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ReqsAllGroups">6.1 Requirements for
All Working and Interest Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsWG">6.2 Working Groups and
Interest Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#group-participation">6.2.1
Working Group and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharterDevelopment">6.2.2
Working Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CharterReview">6.2.3 Advisory
Committee Review of a Working Group or Interest Group
Charter</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#cfp">6.2.4 Call for Participation
in a Working Group or Interest Group</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#charter-extension">6.2.5 Working
Group and Interest Group Charter Extension</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharter">6.2.6 Working Group
and Interest Group Charters</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#GeneralTermination">6.2.8 Working
Group and Interest Group Closure</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Reports">7 W3C Technical Report
Development Process</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#rec-advance">7.1 W3C Technical Reports</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#recs-and-notes" id="return-to-wg">7.1.1
Recommendations and Notes</a></li>
<li><a href="#maturity-levels">7.1.2 Maturity Levels</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#requirements-and-definitions">7.2 General requirements
and definitions</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#general-requirements">7.2.1 General requirements
for Technical Reports</a></li>
<li><a href="#transition-reqs">7.2.2 Advancement on the
Recommendation Track</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#substantive-change">7.2.2.1 Substantive Change</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#doc-reviews">7.2.3 Reviews and Review
Responsibilities</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#wide-review">7.2.3.1 Wide Review</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#implementation-experience">7.2.4 Implementation
Experience</a> </li>
<li><a href="#correction-classes">7.2.5 Classes of Changes to a
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#working-draft">7.3 Working Draft</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#first-wd">7.3.1 First Public Working Draft</a></li>
<li><a href="#revised-wd">7.3.2 Revising Public Working Drafts</a></li>
<li><a href="#tr-end">7.3.3 Stopping work on a specification</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#candidate-rec" id="cfi">7.4 Candidate Recommendation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#revised-cr">7.4.1 Revising a Candidate
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li> <a href="#rec-pr" id="cfr">7.5 Proposed Recommendation</a></li>
<li> <a href="#rec-publication">7.6 W3C Recommendation</a></li>
<li><a href="#rec-modify">7.7 Modifying a W3C Recommendation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a href="#errata">7.7.1 Errata Management</a></li>
<li><a href="#revised-rec" id="cfr-edited">7.7.2 Revising a
Recommendation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#Note">7.8 Publishing a Working Group or Interest Group
Note</a></li>
<li><a href="#rec-rescind">7.9 Rescinding a W3C Recommendation</a></li>
<li><a href="#further-reading">Further reading</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#ReviewAppeal">8 Advisory Committee
Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACReview">8.1 Advisory Committee
Reviews</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ACReviewStart">8.1.1 Start of a
Review Period</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#ACReviewAfter">8.1.2 After the
Review Period</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACAppeal">8.2 Appeal by Advisory
Committee Representatives</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ACVotes">8.3 Advisory Committee Votes</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAEvents">9 Workshops and Symposia</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Liaisons">10 Liaisons</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#Submission">11 Member Submission Process</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionRights">11.1 Submitter
Rights and Obligations</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#SubmissionScope">11.1.1 Scope of
Member Submissions</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#SubmissionReqs">11.1.2
Information Required in a Submission Request</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#TeamSubmissionRights">11.2 Team
Rights and Obligations</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionYes">11.3 Acknowledgment of
a Submission Request</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#SubmissionNo">11.4 Rejection of a
Submission Request</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#GAProcess">12 Process Evolution</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#references">13 References</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#public-refs">13.1 Public Resources</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#member-refs">13.2 Member-only
Resources</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#other-refs">13.3 Other References</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#acks">14 Acknowledgments</a></li>
<li class="tocline2"><a href="#changes">15 Changes</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<main>
<h2 id="Intro">1 Introduction</h2>
<p>Most W3C work revolves around the standardization of Web technologies.
To accomplish this work, W3C follows processes that promote the
development of high-quality standards based on the <a href="#Consensus">consensus</a>
of the Membership, Team, and public. W3C processes promote fairness,
responsiveness, and progress: all facets of the W3C mission. This
document describes the processes W3C follows in pursuit of its mission.</p>
<p>Here is a general overview of how W3C standardizes a Web technology. In
many cases, the goal of this work is a <a href="#RecsW3C">W3C
Recommendation</a>, the W3C equivalent of a Web standard.</p>
<ol>
<li>People generate interest in a particular topic (e.g., Web services).
For instance, Members express interest in the form of <a href="#Submission">Member
Submissions</a>, and the <a href="#Team">Team</a> monitors work
inside and outside of W3C for signs of interest. Also, W3C is likely
to organize a <a href="#GAEvents">Workshop</a> to bring people
together to discuss topics that interest the W3C community.</li>
<li>When there is enough interest in a topic (e.g., after a successful
Workshop and/or discussion on an <a href="#ACCommunication">Advisory
Committee mailing list</a>), the Director announces the <a href="#ActivityDevelopment">development
of a proposal for one or more new</a> or Interest Group or <a href="#WGCharterDevelopment">Working
Group charter</a>, depending on the breadth of the topic of
interest. W3C Members <a href="#ActivityCreation">review</a> the
proposed charters. When there is support within W3C for investing
resources in the topic of interest, the Director approves the group(s)
and they begin their work.</li>
<li>There are three types of Working Group participants: <a href="#member-rep">Member
@@ -19,105 +19,106 @@
report development process</a>, and through an <a href="#ACAppeal">appeal
process</a> for the Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>The other sections of the Process Document:</p>
<ol>
<li>set forth <a href="#Policies">policies</a> for participation in W3C
groups,</li>
<li>establish two permanent groups within W3C: the <a href="#TAG">Technical
Architecture Group (TAG)</a>, to help resolve Consortium-wide
technical issues; and the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board (AB)</a>, to
help resolve Consortium-wide non-technical issues, and to manage the <a
href="#GAProcess">evolution
- of the W3C process</a>, and</li>
<li>describe other interactions between the <a href="#Members">Members</a>
(as represented by the <a href="#AC">W3C Advisory Committee</a>), the
Team, and the general public.</li>
</ol>
<h2>2 <a id="Organization">Members, Advisory Committee, Team, Advisory
Board, Technical Architecture Group</a></h2>
<p>W3C's mission is to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C <a href="#Members">Member</a>
organizations provide resources to this end, and the W3C <a href="#Team">Team</a>
provides the technical leadership and organization to coordinate the
effort.</p>
<h3>2.1 <a id="Members">Members</a></h3>
<p>W3C Members are primarily represented in W3C processes as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>The <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a> is composed of one
representative from each Member organization (refer to the <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a>
list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/ACList">current Advisory
Committee representatives</a> [<a href="#ref-current-ac">MEM1</a>]).
The Advisory Committee:
<ul>
<li>reviews plans for W3C at each <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory
Committee meeting</a>;</li>
<li>reviews formal proposals from the W3C Director: <a href="#CharterReview">Charter
+ of the W3C process</a>, and</li>
<li>describe other interactions between the <a href="#Members">Members</a>
(as represented by the <a href="#AC">W3C Advisory Committee</a>), the
Team, and the general public.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="Organization">2 Members, Advisory Committee, Team, Advisory Board,
Technical Architecture Group</h2>
<p>W3C's mission is to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C <a href="#Members">Member</a>
organizations provide resources to this end, and the W3C <a href="#Team">Team</a>
provides the technical leadership and organization to coordinate the
effort.</p>
<h3 id="Members">2.1 Members</h3>
<p>W3C Members are primarily represented in W3C processes as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>The <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a> is composed of one
representative from each Member organization (refer to the <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a>
list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/ACList">current Advisory
Committee representatives</a> [<a href="#ref-current-ac">MEM1</a>]).
The Advisory Committee:
<ul>
<li>reviews plans for W3C at each <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory
Committee meeting</a>;</li>
<li>reviews formal proposals from the W3C Director: <a href="#CharterReview">Charter
Proposals</a>, <a href="#RecsPR">Proposed Recommendations</a>,
and <a href="#GAProcess">Proposed Process Documents</a>.</li>
<li>elects the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a> participants other
than the Advisory Board Chair.</li>
<li>elects 5 of the 9 participants on the <a href="#TAG">Technical
Architecture Group</a>.</li>
</ul>
Advisory Committee representatives have <a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>
powers for some processes described in this document.</li>
<li>Representatives of Member organizations participate in <a href="#GAGeneral">Working
Groups and Interest Groups</a> and author and review <a href="#Reports">technical
- reports</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p><a id="MemberSubscription">W3C membership</a> is open to all entities,
as described in "<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How to Join
W3C</a>" [<a href="#ref-join-w3c">PUB5</a>]; (refer to the public list
of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List">current W3C
Members</a> [<a href="#ref-current-mem">PUB8</a>]). Organizations
subscribe according to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
- Agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-member-agreement">PUB6</a>]. The <a href="#Team">Team</a>
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> ensure that Member participation
agreements remain <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a> and that no Member
receives preferential treatment within W3C.</p>
<p><a id="IndividualParticipation">W3C does not have a class of membership
tailored to, or priced for individuals</a>. However, an individual <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
join W3C as an Affiliate Member. In this case the same restrictions
pertaining to <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a> apply when
the individual also <a href="#member-rep">represents</a> another W3C
Member.</p>
<h4>2.1.1 <a id="MemberBenefits">Rights of Members</a></h4>
<p>Each Member organization enjoys the following rights and benefits:</p>
<ul>
<li>A seat on the <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a>;</li>
<li>Access to <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> information;</li>
<li>The <a href="#Submission">Member Submission</a> process;</li>
<li>Use of the W3C Member logo on promotional material and to publicize
the Member's participation in W3C. For more information, please refer
to the Member logo usage policy described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
+ reports</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p id="MemberSubscription">W3C membership is open to all entities, as
described in "<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How to Join
W3C</a>" [<a href="#ref-join-w3c">PUB5</a>]; (refer to the public list
of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List">current W3C
Members</a> [<a href="#ref-current-mem">PUB8</a>]). Organizations
subscribe according to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
+ Agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-member-agreement">PUB6</a>]. The <a href="#Team">Team</a>
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> ensure that Member participation
agreements remain <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a> and that no Member
receives preferential treatment within W3C.</p>
<p id="IndividualParticipation">W3C does not have a class of membership
tailored to, or priced for individuals. However, an individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
join W3C as an Affiliate Member. In this case the same restrictions
pertaining to <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a> apply when
the individual also <a href="#member-rep">represents</a> another W3C
Member.</p>
<h4 id="MemberBenefits">2.1.1 Rights of Members</h4>
<p>Each Member organization enjoys the following rights and benefits:</p>
<ul>
<li>A seat on the <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a>;</li>
<li>Access to <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> information;</li>
<li>The <a href="#Submission">Member Submission</a> process;</li>
<li>Use of the W3C Member logo on promotional material and to publicize
the Member's participation in W3C. For more information, please refer
to the Member logo usage policy described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
Member
Orientation</a> [<a href="#ref-new-member">MEM4</a>].</li>
</ul>
<p>Furthermore, representatives of Member organizations participate in W3C
as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>In <a href="#GAGeneral">Working Groups and Interest Groups</a>.</li>
<li>In <a href="#GAEvents">Workshops and Symposia</a>;</li>
<li>On the Team, as <a href="#fellows">W3C Fellows</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>In the case (described in paragraph 5g of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
Agreement</a>), where a Member organization is itself a consortium,
user society, or otherwise has members or sponsors, the organization's
paid staff and Advisory Committee representative exercise all the rights
and privileges of W3C membership. In addition, the Advisory Committee
representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> designate up to four
(or more at the Team's discretion) individuals who, though not employed
by the organization, <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> exercise the
rights of <a href="#member-rep">Member representatives</a>. These
individuals <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> disclose their employment
affiliation when participating in W3C work. Provisions for <a href="#MemberRelated">related
- Members</a> apply. Furthermore, these individuals are expected to
represent the broad interests of the W3C Member organization and not the
parochial interests of their employers.</p>
<p>The rights and benefits of W3C membership are contingent upon
conformance to the processes described in this document. The vast
majority of W3C Members faithfully follow the spirit as well as the
letter of these processes. When serious and/or repeated violations do
occur, and repeated attempts to address these violations have not
resolved the situation, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
take disciplinary action. Arbitration in the case of further
disagreement is governed by paragraph 19 of the Membership Agreement.
Refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/09/discipline">Guidelines
for Disciplinary Action</a> [<a href="#ref-discipline-gl">MEM14</a>].</p>
<h4>2.1.2 <a id="MemberRelated">Related Members</a></h4>
<p>In the interest of ensuring the integrity of the consensus process,
Member involvement in some of the processes in this document is affected
by related Member status. As used herein, two Members are related if:</p>
<ol>
<li>Either Member is a subsidiary of the other, or</li>
<li>Both Members are subsidiaries of a common entity, or</li>
<li>The Members have an employment contract or consulting contract that
affects W3C participation.</li>
</ol>
<p>A <em>subsidiary</em> is an organization of which effective control
and/or majority ownership rests with another, single organization.</p>
<p>Related Members <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> disclose these
relationships according to the mechanisms described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
- Member Orientation</a> [<a href="#ref-new-member">MEM4</a>].</p>
<h4>2.1.3 <a id="AC">Advisory Committee (AC)</a></h4>
<p>When an organization joins W3C (see "<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How
+ Members</a> apply. Furthermore, these individuals are expected to
represent the broad interests of the W3C Member organization and not the
parochial interests of their employers.</p>
<p>The rights and benefits of W3C membership are contingent upon
conformance to the processes described in this document. The vast
majority of W3C Members faithfully follow the spirit as well as the
letter of these processes. When serious and/or repeated violations do
occur, and repeated attempts to address these violations have not
resolved the situation, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
take disciplinary action. Arbitration in the case of further
disagreement is governed by paragraph 19 of the Membership Agreement.
Refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/09/discipline">Guidelines
for Disciplinary Action</a> [<a href="#ref-discipline-gl">MEM14</a>].</p>
<h4 id="MemberRelated">2.1.2 Related Members</h4>
<p>In the interest of ensuring the integrity of the consensus process,
Member involvement in some of the processes in this document is affected
by related Member status. As used herein, two Members are related if:</p>
<ol>
<li>Either Member is a subsidiary of the other, or</li>
<li>Both Members are subsidiaries of a common entity, or</li>
<li>The Members have an employment contract or consulting contract that
affects W3C participation.</li>
</ol>
<p>A <em>subsidiary</em> is an organization of which effective control
and/or majority ownership rests with another, single organization.</p>
<p>Related Members <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> disclose these
relationships according to the mechanisms described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
+ Member Orientation</a> [<a href="#ref-new-member">MEM4</a>].</p>
<h4 id="AC">2.1.3 Advisory Committee (AC)</h4>
<p>When an organization joins W3C (see "<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How
to Join W3C</a>" [<a href="#ref-join-w3c">PUB5</a>]), it <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
name its Advisory Committee representative as part of the Membership
Agreement. The <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New Member
Orientation</a> explains how to subscribe or unsubscribe to Advisory
Committee mailing lists, provides information about Advisory Committee
meetings, explains how to name a new Advisory Committee representative,
and more. Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
follow the <a href="#coi">conflict of interest policy</a> by disclosing
information according to the mechanisms described in the New Member
Orientation. See also the additional roles of Advisory Committee
representatives described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p>Additional information for Members is available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/">Member
- Web site</a> [<a href="#ref-member-web">MEM6</a>].</p>
<h5>2.1.3.1 <a id="ACCommunication">Advisory Committee Mailing Lists</a></h5>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide two mailing lists
for use by the Advisory Committee:</p>
<ol>
<li>One for official announcements (e.g., those required by this
document) from the Team to the Advisory Committee. This list is
read-only for Advisory Committee representatives.</li>
<li>One for discussion among Advisory Committee representatives. Though
this list is primarily for Advisory Committee representatives, the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> monitor discussion and <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
participate in discussion when appropriate. Ongoing detailed
discussions <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be moved to other
appropriate lists (new or existing, such as a mailing list created for
a <a href="#GAEvents">Workshop</a>).</li>
</ol>
<p>An Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
request that additional individuals from their organization be
subscribed to these lists. Failure to contain distribution internally <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
result in suspension of additional email addresses, at the discretion of
the Team.</p>
<h5>2.1.3.2 <a id="ACMeetings">Advisory Committee Meetings</a></h5>
<p>The Team organizes a <a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face meeting</a>
for the Advisory Committee <span class="time-interval">twice a year</span>.
The Team appoints the Chair of these meetings (generally the <a href="#def-W3CChair">CEO</a>).
+ Web site</a> [<a href="#ref-member-web">MEM6</a>].</p>
<h5 id="ACCommunication">2.1.3.1 Advisory Committee Mailing Lists</h5>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide two mailing lists
for use by the Advisory Committee:</p>
<ol>
<li>One for official announcements (e.g., those required by this
document) from the Team to the Advisory Committee. This list is
read-only for Advisory Committee representatives.</li>
<li>One for discussion among Advisory Committee representatives. Though
this list is primarily for Advisory Committee representatives, the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> monitor discussion and <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
participate in discussion when appropriate. Ongoing detailed
discussions <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be moved to other
appropriate lists (new or existing, such as a mailing list created for
a <a href="#GAEvents">Workshop</a>).</li>
</ol>
<p>An Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
request that additional individuals from their organization be
subscribed to these lists. Failure to contain distribution internally <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
result in suspension of additional email addresses, at the discretion of
the Team.</p>
<h5 id="ACMeetings">2.1.3.2 Advisory Committee Meetings</h5>
<p>The Team organizes a <a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face meeting</a>
for the Advisory Committee <span class="time-interval">twice a year</span>.
The Team appoints the Chair of these meetings (generally the <a href="#def-W3CChair">CEO</a>).
At each Advisory Committee meeting, the Team <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
provide an update to the Advisory Committee about:</p>
<dl>
<dt><em>Resources</em></dt>
<dd>
<ul>
<li>The number of Full and Affiliate W3C Members.</li>
<li>An overview of the financial status of W3C.</li>
</ul>
</dd>
<dt><em>Allocations</em></dt>
<dd>
<ul>
<li>The allocation of the annual budget, including size of the Team
and their approximate deployment.</li>
<li>A list of all activities (including but not limited to Working
and Interest Groups) and brief status statement about each, in
particular those started or terminated since the previous Advisory
Committee meeting.</li>
<li>The allocation of resources to pursuing <a href="#Liaisons">liaisons</a>
with other organizations.</li>
</ul>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>Each Member organization <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> send one
<a href="#member-rep">representative</a> to each Advisory Committee
meeting. In exceptional circumstances (e.g., during a period of
transition between representatives from an organization), the meeting
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> allow a Member organization to
send two representatives to a meeting.</p>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> announce the date and
location of each Advisory Committee meeting no later than at the end of
the previous meeting; <span class="time-interval">one year's</span>
notice is preferred. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
announce the region of each Advisory Committee meeting at least <span class="time-interval">one
year</span> in advance.</p>
<p>More information about <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Meeting/">Advisory
Committee
- meetings</a> [<a href="#ref-ac-meetings">MEM5</a>] is available at the
Member Web site.</p>
<h3>2.2 <a id="Team">The W3C Team</a></h3>
<p>The Team consists of the <a id="def-Director">Director</a>, <a id="def-W3CChair">CEO</a>,
W3C paid staff, unpaid interns, and W3C Fellows. <a id="fellows">W3C
Fellows</a> are Member employees working as part of the Team; see the
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Recruitment/Fellows">W3C Fellows
Program</a> [<a href="#ref-fellows">PUB32</a>]. The Team provides
technical leadership about Web technologies, organizes and manages W3C
activities to reach goals within practical constraints (such as
resources available), and communicates with the Members and the public
about the Web and W3C technologies.</p>
<p>The Director and CEO <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> delegate
responsibility (generally to other individuals in the Team) for any of
their roles described in this document.</p>
<p>The Director is the lead technical architect at W3C. His
responsibilities are identified throughout this document in relevant
places, but include assessing <a href="#def-Consensus" id="DirectorDecision">consensus</a>
within W3C for architectural choices, publication of <a href="#Reports">technical
- reports</a>, and new activities. The Director appoints group <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chairs</a>
and has the role of "tie-breaker" for <a href="#WGAppeals">appeal of a
Working Group decision</a>. The Director is generally Chair of the <a
href="#TAG">TAG</a>.</p>
<p>The CEO leads Member relations, and <a href="#Liaisons">liaisons</a>
with other organizations, governments, and the public.</p>
<p>The <a id="def-COO">Chief Operating Officer</a> (<abbr>COO</abbr>)
leads the operation of W3C as an organization: a collection of people, <a
href="#hosts">Host
- institutions</a>, and processes.</p>
<p>Team administrative information such as Team salaries, detailed
budgeting, and other business decisions are <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a>,
subject to oversight by the Host institutions.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> W3C is not currently incorporated. For legal
contracts, W3C is represented by three <a id="hosts">"Host"
institutions</a>: the European Research Consortium for Informatics and
Mathematics (<abbr>ERCIM</abbr>), Keio University, and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (<abbr>MIT</abbr>). Within W3C, the Host
institutions are governed by joint sponsorship contracts; the Hosts
themselves are not W3C Members.</p>
<h4>2.2.1 <a id="TeamSubmission">Team Submissions</a></h4>
<p>Team members <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> request that the
Director publish information at the W3C Web site. At the Director's
discretion, these documents are published as "Team Submissions". These
documents are analogous to <a href="#Submission">Member Submissions</a>
(e.g., in <a href="#SubmissionScope">expected scope</a>). However,
there is no additional Team comment. The <a href="#DocumentStatus">document
+ meetings</a> [<a href="#ref-ac-meetings">MEM5</a>] is available at the
Member Web site.</p>
<h3 id="Team">2.2 The W3C Team</h3>
<p>The Team consists of the Director, CEO, W3C paid staff, unpaid interns,
and W3C Fellows. <dfn id="fellows">W3C Fellows</dfn> are Member
employees working as part of the Team; see the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Recruitment/Fellows">W3C
+ Fellows Program</a> [<a href="#ref-fellows">PUB32</a>]. The Team
provides technical leadership about Web technologies, organizes and
manages W3C activities to reach goals within practical constraints (such
as resources available), and communicates with the Members and the
public about the Web and W3C technologies.</p>
<p>The Director and CEO <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> delegate
responsibility (generally to other individuals in the Team) for any of
their roles described in this document.</p>
<p>The <dfn id="def-Director">Director</dfn> is the lead technical
architect at W3C. His responsibilities are identified throughout this
document in relevant places Some key ones include: assessing <a href="#def-Consensus"
id="DirectorDecision">consensus</a>
within W3C for architectural choices, publication of <a href="#Reports">technical
+ reports</a>, and new activities; appointing group <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chairs</a>;
"tie-breaker" for <a href="#WGAppeals">appeal of a Working Group
decision</a>; the Director is generally Chair of the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a>.</p>
<p>Team administrative information such as Team salaries, detailed
budgeting, and other business decisions are <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a>,
subject to oversight by the Host institutions.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> W3C is not currently incorporated. For legal
contracts, W3C is represented by four <dfn id="hosts">"Host"
institutions</dfn>: Beihang University, the European Research
Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (<abbr>ERCIM</abbr>), Keio
University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (<abbr>MIT</abbr>).
+ Within W3C, the Host institutions are governed by joint sponsorship
contracts; the Hosts themselves are not W3C Members.</p>
<h4 id="TeamSubmission">2.2.1 Team Submissions</h4>
<p>Team members <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> request that the
Director publish information at the W3C Web site. At the Director's
discretion, these documents are published as "Team Submissions". These
documents are analogous to <a href="#Submission">Member Submissions</a>
(e.g., in <a href="#SubmissionScope">expected scope</a>). However,
there is no additional Team comment. The <a href="#DocumentStatus">document
status section</a> of a Team Submission indicates the level of Team
consensus about the published material.</p>
<p>Team Submissions are <strong>not</strong> part of the <a href="#Reports">technical
- report development process</a>.</p>
<p>The list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/TeamSubmission/">published Team
Submissions</a> [<a href="#ref-team-submission-list">PUB16</a>] is
available at the W3C Web site.</p>
<h3>2.3 <a id="AB">Advisory Board (AB)</a></h3>
<p>Created in March 1998, the Advisory Board provides ongoing guidance to
the Team on issues of strategy, management, legal matters, process, and
conflict resolution. The Advisory Board also serves the Members by
tracking issues raised between Advisory Committee meetings, soliciting
Member comments on such issues, and proposing actions to resolve these
issues. The Advisory Board manages the <a href="#GAProcess">evolution
of the Process Document</a>. The Advisory Board hears appeals of <a href="#SubmissionNo">Member
+ report development process</a>.</p>
<p>The list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/TeamSubmission/">published Team
Submissions</a> [<a href="#ref-team-submission-list">PUB16</a>] is
available at the W3C Web site.</p>
<h3 id="AB">2.3 Advisory Board (AB)</h3>
<p>Created in March 1998, the Advisory Board provides ongoing guidance to
the Team on issues of strategy, management, legal matters, process, and
conflict resolution. The Advisory Board also serves the Members by
tracking issues raised between Advisory Committee meetings, soliciting
Member comments on such issues, and proposing actions to resolve these
issues. The Advisory Board manages the <a href="#GAProcess">evolution
of the Process Document</a>. The Advisory Board hears appeals of <a href="#SubmissionNo">Member
Submission requests</a> that are rejected for reasons unrelated to Web
architecture; see also the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a>.</p>
<p>The Advisory Board is <strong>not</strong> a board of directors and
has no decision-making authority within W3C; its role is strictly
advisory.</p>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> make available a mailing
list for the Advisory Board to use for its communication, confidential
to the Advisory Board and Team.</p>
<p>The Advisory Board <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> send a summary
of each of its meetings to the Advisory Committee and other group
Chairs. The Advisory Board <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> also
report on its activities at each <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory
Committee meeting</a>.</p>
<p>Details about the Advisory Board (e.g., the list of Advisory Board
participants, mailing list information, and summaries of Advisory Board
meetings) are available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/ab/">Advisory
Board
- home page</a> [<a href="#ref-ab-home">PUB30</a>].</p>
<h4>2.3.1 <a id="ABParticipation">Advisory Board Participation</a></h4>
<p>The Advisory Board consists of nine elected participants and a Chair.
The Team appoints the Chair of the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>,
who is generally the <a href="#def-W3CChair">CEO</a>.</p>
<p>The remaining nine Advisory Board participants are elected by the W3C
Advisory Committee following the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG
nomination and election process</a>.</p>
<p>With the exception of the Chair, the terms of all Advisory Board
participants are for <span class="time-interval">two years</span>.
Terms are staggered so that each year, either four or five terms expire.
If an individual is elected to fill an incomplete term, that
individual's term ends at the normal expiration date of that term.
Regular Advisory Board terms begin on 1 July and end on 30 June.</p>
<h3>2.4 <a id="TAG">Technical Architecture Group (TAG)</a></h3>
<p>Created in February 2001, the mission of the TAG is stewardship of the
Web architecture. There are three aspects to this mission:</p>
<ol>
<li>to document and build consensus around principles of Web
architecture and to interpret and clarify these principles when
necessary;</li>
<li>to resolve issues involving general Web architecture brought to the
TAG;</li>
<li>to help coordinate cross-technology architecture developments inside
and outside W3C.</li>
</ol>
<p>The TAG hears appeals of <a href="#SubmissionNo">Member Submission
requests</a> that are rejected for reasons related to Web
architecture; see also the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>.</p>
<p>The TAG's scope is limited to technical issues about Web architecture.
The TAG <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> consider
administrative, process, or organizational policy issues of W3C, which
are generally addressed by the W3C Advisory Committee, Advisory Board,
and Team. Please refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/07/19-tag">TAG
+ home page</a> [<a href="#ref-ab-home">PUB30</a>].</p>
<h4 id="ABParticipation">2.3.1 Advisory Board Participation</h4>
<p>The Advisory Board consists of nine elected participants and a Chair.
The Team appoints the Chair of the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>,
who is generally the <a href="#def-W3CChair">CEO</a>.</p>
<p>The remaining nine Advisory Board participants are elected by the W3C
Advisory Committee following the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG
nomination and election process</a>.</p>
<p>With the exception of the Chair, the terms of all Advisory Board
participants are for <span class="time-interval">two years</span>.
Terms are staggered so that each year, either four or five terms expire.
If an individual is elected to fill an incomplete term, that
individual's term ends at the normal expiration date of that term.
Regular Advisory Board terms begin on 1 July and end on 30 June.</p>
<h3 id="TAG">2.4 Technical Architecture Group (TAG)</h3>
<p>Created in February 2001, the mission of the TAG is stewardship of the
Web architecture. There are three aspects to this mission:</p>
<ol>
<li>to document and build consensus around principles of Web
architecture and to interpret and clarify these principles when
necessary;</li>
<li>to resolve issues involving general Web architecture brought to the
TAG;</li>
<li>to help coordinate cross-technology architecture developments inside
and outside W3C.</li>
</ol>
<p>The TAG hears appeals of <a href="#SubmissionNo">Member Submission
requests</a> that are rejected for reasons related to Web
architecture; see also the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>.</p>
<p>The TAG's scope is limited to technical issues about Web architecture.
The TAG <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> consider
administrative, process, or organizational policy issues of W3C, which
are generally addressed by the W3C Advisory Committee, Advisory Board,
and Team. Please refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/07/19-tag">TAG
charter</a> [<a href="#ref-tag-charter">PUB25</a>] for more
information about the background and scope of the TAG, and the expected
qualifications of TAG participants.</p>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> make available two mailing
lists for the TAG:</p>
<ul>
<li>a public discussion (not just input) list for issues of Web
architecture. The TAG will conduct its public business on this list.</li>
<li>a <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> list for discussions
within the TAG and for requests to the TAG that, for whatever reason,
cannot be made on the public list.</li>
</ul>
<p>The TAG <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also request the creation of
additional topic-specific, public mailing lists. For some TAG
discussions (e.g., an appeal of a <a href="#SubmissionNo">rejected
Member Submission request</a>), the TAG <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
use a list that will be <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a>.</p>
<p>The TAG <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> send a summary of each of
its <a href="#GeneralMeetings">meetings</a> to the Advisory Committee
and other group Chairs. The TAG <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
also report on its activities at each <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory
Committee meeting</a>.</p>
<p>When the TAG votes to resolve an issue, each TAG participant (whether
appointed, elected, or the Chair) has one vote; see also the section on
<a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/07/19-tag#Voting">voting in the TAG
charter</a> [<a href="#ref-tag-charter">PUB25</a>] and the general
section on <a href="#Votes">votes</a> in this Process Document.</p>
<p>Details about the TAG (e.g., the list of TAG participants, mailing list
information, and summaries of TAG meetings) are available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/">TAG
- home page</a> [<a href="#ref-tag-home">PUB26</a>].</p>
<h4>2.4.1 <a id="tag-participation">Technical Architecture Group
Participation</a></h4>
<p>The TAG consists of eight elected or appointed participants and a
Chair. The Team appoints the Chair of the TAG, who is generally the <a
href="#def-Director">Director</a>.</p>
<p>Three TAG participants are appointed by the Director. Appointees are <span
class="rfc2119">NOT
- REQUIRED</span> to be on the W3C Team. The Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appoint <a href="#fellows">W3C Fellows</a> to the TAG.</p>
<p>The remaining five TAG participants are elected by the W3C Advisory
Committee following the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG nomination
and election process</a>.</p>
<p>With the exception of the Chair, the terms of all TAG participants are
for <span class="time-interval">two years</span>. Terms are staggered
so that each year, either two or three elected terms, and either one or
two appointed terms expire. If an individual is appointed or elected to
fill an incomplete term, that individual's term ends at the normal
expiration date of that term. Regular TAG terms begin on 1 February and
end on 31 January.</p>
<h3>2.5 <a id="AB-TAG-participation">Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Participation</a></h3>
<p>Advisory Board and TAG participants have a special role within W3C:
they are elected by the Membership and appointed by the Director with
the expectation that they will use their best judgment to find the best
solutions for the Web, not just for any particular network, technology,
vendor, or user. Advisory Board and TAG participants are expected to
participate regularly and fully. Advisory Board and TAG participants <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
attend <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory Committee meetings</a>.</p>
<p>An individual participates on the Advisory Board or TAG from the moment
the individual's term begins until the term ends or the seat is <a href="#AB-TAG-vacated">vacated</a>.
Although Advisory Board and TAG participants do not advocate for the
commercial interests of their employers, their participation does carry
the responsibilities associated with Member representation, Invited
Expert status, or Team representation (as described in the section on
the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG nomination and election process</a>).
+ home page</a> [<a href="#ref-tag-home">PUB26</a>].</p>
<h4 id="tag-participation">2.4.1 Technical Architecture Group
Participation</h4>
<p>The TAG consists of eight elected or appointed participants and a
Chair. The Team appoints the Chair of the TAG, who is generally the <a
href="#def-Director">Director</a>.</p>
<p>Three TAG participants are appointed by the Director. Appointees are <span
class="rfc2119">NOT
+ REQUIRED</span> to be on the W3C Team. The Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appoint <a href="#fellows">W3C Fellows</a> to the TAG.</p>
<p>The remaining five TAG participants are elected by the W3C Advisory
Committee following the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG nomination
and election process</a>.</p>
<p>With the exception of the Chair, the terms of all TAG participants are
for <span class="time-interval">two years</span>. Terms are staggered
so that each year, either two or three elected terms, and either one or
two appointed terms expire. If an individual is appointed or elected to
fill an incomplete term, that individual's term ends at the normal
expiration date of that term. Regular TAG terms begin on 1 February and
end on 31 January.</p>
<h3 id="AB-TAG-participation">2.5 Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Participation</h3>
<p>Advisory Board and TAG participants have a special role within W3C:
they are elected by the Membership and appointed by the Director with
the expectation that they will use their best judgment to find the best
solutions for the Web, not just for any particular network, technology,
vendor, or user. Advisory Board and TAG participants are expected to
participate regularly and fully. Advisory Board and TAG participants <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
attend <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory Committee meetings</a>.</p>
<p>An individual participates on the Advisory Board or TAG from the moment
the individual's term begins until the term ends or the seat is <a href="#AB-TAG-vacated">vacated</a>.
Although Advisory Board and TAG participants do not advocate for the
commercial interests of their employers, their participation does carry
the responsibilities associated with Member representation, Invited
Expert status, or Team representation (as described in the section on
the <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">AB/TAG nomination and election process</a>).
See also the licensing obligations on TAG participants in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], and the
claim exclusion process of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Exclusion">section
- 4</a>.</p>
<h4>2.5.1 <a id="AB-TAG-constraints">Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Participation Constraints</a></h4>
<p>Given the few seats available on the Advisory Board and the TAG, and in
order to ensure that the diversity of W3C Members is represented:</p>
<ul>
<li>A Member organization is permitted at most one participant on the
TAG except when having more than one participant is caused by a change
of affiliation of an existing participant. At the completion of the
next regularly scheduled election for the TAG, the Member organization
MUST have returned to having at most one participant.</li>
<li>A Member organization is permitted at most one participant on the
AB.</li>
<li>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> participate on
both the TAG and the AB.</li>
</ul>
<p>If, for whatever reason, these constraints are not satisfied (e.g.,
because an AB participant changes jobs), one participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
cease AB participation until the situation has been resolved. If after <span
class="time-interval">30
- days</span> the situation has not been resolved, the Chair will
declare one participant's seat to be vacant. When more than one
individual is involved, the <a href="#random">verifiable random
selection procedure</a> described below will be used to choose one
person for continued participation.</p>
<h4>2.5.2 <a id="AB-TAG-elections">Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Elections</a></h4>
<p>The Advisory Board and a portion of the Technical Architecture Group
are elected by the Advisory Committee. An election begins when the Team
sends a Call for Nominations to the Advisory Committee. Any Call for
Nominations specifies the number of available seats, the deadline for
nominations, and the address where nominations are sent. The Director <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
announce appointments no later than the start of a nomination period,
and generally as part of the Call for Nominations.</p>
<p>Each Member (or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>)
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> nominate one individual. A nomination <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be made with the consent of the nominee. In order for an individual to
be nominated as a Member representative, the individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
qualify for <a href="#member-rep">Member representation</a> and the
Member's Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include in the nomination the (same) <a href="#member-rep-info">information
+ 4</a>.</p>
<h4 id="AB-TAG-constraints">2.5.1 Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Participation Constraints</h4>
<p>Given the few seats available on the Advisory Board and the TAG, and in
order to ensure that the diversity of W3C Members is represented:</p>
<ul>
<li>A Member organization is permitted at most one participant on the
TAG except when having more than one participant is caused by a change
of affiliation of an existing participant. At the completion of the
next regularly scheduled election for the TAG, the Member organization
MUST have returned to having at most one participant.</li>
<li>A Member organization is permitted at most one participant on the
AB.</li>
<li>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> participate on
both the TAG and the AB.</li>
</ul>
<p>If, for whatever reason, these constraints are not satisfied (e.g.,
because an AB participant changes jobs), one participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
cease AB participation until the situation has been resolved. If after <span
class="time-interval">30
+ days</span> the situation has not been resolved, the Chair will
declare one participant's seat to be vacant. When more than one
individual is involved, the <a href="#random">verifiable random
selection procedure</a> described below will be used to choose one
person for continued participation.</p>
<h4 id="AB-TAG-elections">2.5.2 Advisory Board and Technical Architecture
Group Elections</h4>
<p>The Advisory Board and a portion of the Technical Architecture Group
are elected by the Advisory Committee. An election begins when the Team
sends a Call for Nominations to the Advisory Committee. Any Call for
Nominations specifies the number of available seats, the deadline for
nominations, and the address where nominations are sent. The Director <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
announce appointments no later than the start of a nomination period,
and generally as part of the Call for Nominations.</p>
<p>Each Member (or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>)
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> nominate one individual. A nomination <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be made with the consent of the nominee. In order for an individual to
be nominated as a Member representative, the individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
qualify for <a href="#member-rep">Member representation</a> and the
Member's Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include in the nomination the (same) <a href="#member-rep-info">information
required for a Member representative in a Working Group</a>. In order
for an individual to be nominated as an Invited Expert, the individual <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
provide the (same) <a href="#inv-expert-info">information required for
an Invited Expert in a Working Group</a> and the nominating Advisory
Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include that
information in the nomination. In order for an individual to be
nominated as a Team representative, the nominating Advisory Committee
representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> first secure approval
from Team management. A nominee is <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span>
to be an employee of a Member organization, and <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
be a <a href="#fellows">W3C Fellow</a>. Each nomination <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
include a few informative paragraphs about the nominee.</p>
<p>If, after the deadline for nominations, the number of nominees is:</p>
<ul>
<li>Equal to the number of available seats, those nominees are thereby
elected. This situation constitutes a tie for the purposes of
assigning <a href="#short-term">short terms</a>.</li>
<li>Less than the number of available seats, Calls for Nominations are
issued until a sufficient number of people have been nominated. Those
already nominated do not need to be renominated after a renewed call.</li>
<li>Greater than the number of available seats, the Team issues a Call
for Votes that includes the names of all candidates, the number of
available seats, the deadline for votes, and the address where votes
are sent.</li>
</ul>
<p>When there is a vote, each Member (or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related
Members</a>) <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> vote for as many
candidates as there are available seats; see the section on <a href="#ACVotes">Advisory
Committee votes</a>. Once the deadline for votes has passed, the Team
announces the results to the Advisory Committee. The candidates with the
most votes are elected to the available seats. In case of a tie where
there are more apparent winners than available seats (e.g., three
candidates receive 10 votes each for two seats), the <a href="#random">verifiable
- random selection procedure</a> described below will be used to fill
the available seats.</p>
<p id="short-term">The shortest term is assigned to the elected individual
who received the fewest votes, the next shortest to the elected
individual who received the next fewest, and so on. In the case of a tie
among those eligible for a short term, the <a href="#random">verifiable
random selection procedure</a> described below will be used to assign
the short term.</p>
<p>Refer to <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/10/election-howto">How to
Organize an Advisory Board or TAG election</a> [<a href="#ref-election-howto">MEM15</a>]
for more details.</p>
<h5>2.5.2.1 <a id="random">Verifiable Random Selection Procedure</a></h5>
<p>When it is necessary to use a verifiable random selection process
(e.g., in an AB or TAG election, to "draw straws" in case of a tie or to
fill a short term), W3C uses the random and verifiable procedure defined
in <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2777.txt">RFC 2777</a> [<a href="#ref-RFC2777">RFC2777</a>].
- The procedure orders an input list of names (listed in alphabetical
order by family name unless otherwise specified) into a "result order."</p>
<p>W3C applies this procedure as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>When N people have tied for M (less than N) seats. In this case,
only the names of the N individuals who tied are provided as input to
the procedure. The M seats are assigned in result order.</li>
<li>After all elected individuals have been identified, when N people
are eligible for M (less than N) short terms. In this case, only the
names of those N individuals are provided as input to the procedure.
The short terms are assigned in result order.</li>
</ol>
<h4>2.5.3 <a id="AB-TAG-vacated">Advisory Board and Technical
Architecture Group Vacated Seats</a></h4>
<p>An Advisory Board or TAG participant's seat is vacated when either of
the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the participant <a href="#resignation">resigns</a>, or</li>
<li>the Chair asks the participant to <a href="#resignation">resign</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>When an Advisory Board or TAG participant changes affiliations, as long
as <a href="#AB-TAG-constraints">Advisory Board and TAG participation
constraints</a> are respected, the individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
continue to participate until the next regularly scheduled election for
that group. Otherwise, the seat is vacated.</p>
<p>Vacated seats are filled according to this schedule:</p>
<ul>
<li>When an appointed TAG seat is vacated, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
re-appoint someone immediately, but no later than the next regularly
scheduled election.</li>
<li>When an elected seat on either the AB or TAG is vacated, the seat is
filled at the next regularly scheduled election for the group unless
the group Chair requests that W3C hold an election before then (for
instance, due to the group's workload). The group Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD
- NOT</span> request an exceptional election if the next regularly
scheduled election is fewer than three months away.</li>
</ul>
<h2>3 <a id="Policies">General Policies for W3C Groups</a></h2>
<p>This section describes general policies for W3C groups regarding
participation, meeting requirements, and decision-making. These policies
apply to <a id="participant">participants</a> in the following groups:
<a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a>, <a href="#ABParticipation">Advisory
+ random selection procedure</a> described below will be used to fill
the available seats.</p>
<p id="short-term">The shortest term is assigned to the elected individual
who received the fewest votes, the next shortest to the elected
individual who received the next fewest, and so on. In the case of a tie
among those eligible for a short term, the <a href="#random">verifiable
random selection procedure</a> described below will be used to assign
the short term.</p>
<p>Refer to <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/10/election-howto">How to
Organize an Advisory Board or TAG election</a> [<a href="#ref-election-howto">MEM15</a>]
for more details.</p>
<h5 id="random">2.5.2.1 Verifiable Random Selection Procedure</h5>
<p>When it is necessary to use a verifiable random selection process
(e.g., in an AB or TAG election, to "draw straws" in case of a tie or to
fill a short term), W3C uses the random and verifiable procedure defined
in <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2777.txt">RFC 2777</a> [<a href="#ref-RFC2777">RFC2777</a>].
+ The procedure orders an input list of names (listed in alphabetical
order by family name unless otherwise specified) into a "result order."</p>
<p>W3C applies this procedure as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>When N people have tied for M (less than N) seats. In this case,
only the names of the N individuals who tied are provided as input to
the procedure. The M seats are assigned in result order.</li>
<li>After all elected individuals have been identified, when N people
are eligible for M (less than N) short terms. In this case, only the
names of those N individuals are provided as input to the procedure.
The short terms are assigned in result order.</li>
</ol>
<h4 id="AB-TAG-vacated">2.5.3 Advisory Board and Technical Architecture
Group Vacated Seats</h4>
<p>An Advisory Board or TAG participant's seat is vacated when either of
the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the participant <a href="#resignation">resigns</a>, or</li>
<li>the Chair asks the participant to <a href="#resignation">resign</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>When an Advisory Board or TAG participant changes affiliations, as long
as <a href="#AB-TAG-constraints">Advisory Board and TAG participation
constraints</a> are respected, the individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
continue to participate until the next regularly scheduled election for
that group. Otherwise, the seat is vacated.</p>
<p>Vacated seats are filled according to this schedule:</p>
<ul>
<li>When an appointed TAG seat is vacated, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
re-appoint someone immediately, but no later than the next regularly
scheduled election.</li>
<li>When an elected seat on either the AB or TAG is vacated, the seat is
filled at the next regularly scheduled election for the group unless
the group Chair requests that W3C hold an election before then (for
instance, due to the group's workload). The group Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD
+ NOT</span> request an exceptional election if the next regularly
scheduled election is fewer than three months away.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="Policies">3 General Policies for W3C Groups</h2>
<p>This section describes general policies for W3C groups regarding
participation, meeting requirements, and decision-making. These policies
apply to <span id="participant">participants</span> in the following
groups: <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a>, <a href="#ABParticipation">Advisory
Board</a>, <a href="#tag-participation">TAG</a>, <a href="#wgparticipant">Working
- Groups</a>, and <a href="#igparticipant">Interest Groups</a>.</p>
<h3>3.1 <a id="ParticipationCriteria">Individual Participation Criteria</a></h3>
<p>There are three qualities an individual is expected to demonstrate in
order to participate in W3C:</p>
<ol>
<li>Technical competence in one's role</li>
<li>The ability to act fairly</li>
<li>Social competence in one's role</li>
</ol>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives who nominate individuals from their
organization for participation in W3C activities are responsible for
assessing and attesting to the qualities of those nominees.</p>
<p>See also the participation requirements described in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Disclosure">section
- 6</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<h4>3.1.1 <a id="coi">Conflict of Interest Policy</a></h4>
<p>Individuals participating materially in W3C work <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
disclose significant relationships when those relationships might
reasonably be perceived as creating a conflict of interest with the
individual's role at W3C. These disclosures <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be kept up-to-date as the individual's affiliations change and W3C
membership evolves (since, for example, the individual might have a
relationship with an organization that joins or leaves W3C). Each
section in this document that describes a W3C group provides more detail
about the disclosure mechanisms for that group.</p>
<p>The ability of an individual to fulfill a role within a group without
risking a conflict of interest is clearly a function of the individual's
affiliations. When these affiliations change, the individual's
assignment to the role <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be evaluated.
The role <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be reassigned according to
the appropriate process. For instance, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appoint a new group Chair when the current Chair changes affiliations
(e.g., if there is a risk of conflict of interest, or if there is risk
that the Chair's new employer will be over-represented within a W3C
activity).</p>
<p>The following are some scenarios where disclosure is appropriate:</p>
<ul>
<li>Paid consulting for an organization whose activity is relevant to
W3C, or any consulting compensated with equity (shares of stock, stock
options, or other forms of corporate equity).</li>
<li>A decision-making role/responsibility (such as participating on the
Board) in other organizations relevant to W3C.</li>
<li>A position on a publicly visible advisory body, even if no decision
making authority is involved.</li>
</ul>
<p>Individuals seeking assistance on these matters <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
contact the Team.</p>
<p>Team members are subject to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/06-conflictpolicy">W3C
- Team conflict of interest policy</a> [<a href="#ref-coi">PUB23</a>].</p>
<h4>3.1.2 <a id="member-rep">Individuals Representing a Member
Organization</a></h4>
<p>Generally, individuals representing a Member in an official capacity
within W3C are employees of the Member organization. However, an
Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
designate a non-employee to represent the Member. Non-employee Member
representatives <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> disclose relevant
affiliations to the Team and to any group in which the individual
participates.</p>
<p>In exceptional circumstances (e.g., situations that might jeopardize
the progress of a group or create a <a href="#coi">conflict of interest</a>),
+ Groups</a>, and <a href="#igparticipant">Interest Groups</a>.</p>
<h3 id="ParticipationCriteria">3.1 Individual Participation Criteria</h3>
<p>There are three qualities an individual is expected to demonstrate in
order to participate in W3C:</p>
<ol>
<li>Technical competence in one's role</li>
<li>The ability to act fairly</li>
<li>Social competence in one's role</li>
</ol>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives who nominate individuals from their
organization for participation in W3C activities are responsible for
assessing and attesting to the qualities of those nominees.</p>
<p>See also the participation requirements described in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Disclosure">section
+ 6</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<h4 id="coi">3.1.1 Conflict of Interest Policy</h4>
<p>Individuals participating materially in W3C work <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
disclose significant relationships when those relationships might
reasonably be perceived as creating a conflict of interest with the
individual's role at W3C. These disclosures <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be kept up-to-date as the individual's affiliations change and W3C
membership evolves (since, for example, the individual might have a
relationship with an organization that joins or leaves W3C). Each
section in this document that describes a W3C group provides more detail
about the disclosure mechanisms for that group.</p>
<p>The ability of an individual to fulfill a role within a group without
risking a conflict of interest is clearly a function of the individual's
affiliations. When these affiliations change, the individual's
assignment to the role <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be evaluated.
The role <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be reassigned according to
the appropriate process. For instance, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appoint a new group Chair when the current Chair changes affiliations
(e.g., if there is a risk of conflict of interest, or if there is risk
that the Chair's new employer will be over-represented within a W3C
activity).</p>
<p>The following are some scenarios where disclosure is appropriate:</p>
<ul>
<li>Paid consulting for an organization whose activity is relevant to
W3C, or any consulting compensated with equity (shares of stock, stock
options, or other forms of corporate equity).</li>
<li>A decision-making role/responsibility (such as participating on the
Board) in other organizations relevant to W3C.</li>
<li>A position on a publicly visible advisory body, even if no decision
making authority is involved.</li>
</ul>
<p>Individuals seeking assistance on these matters <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
contact the Team.</p>
<p>Team members are subject to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/06-conflictpolicy">W3C
+ Team conflict of interest policy</a> [<a href="#ref-coi">PUB23</a>].</p>
<h4 id="member-rep">3.1.2 Individuals Representing a Member Organization</h4>
<p>Generally, individuals representing a Member in an official capacity
within W3C are employees of the Member organization. However, an
Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
designate a non-employee to represent the Member. Non-employee Member
representatives <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> disclose relevant
affiliations to the Team and to any group in which the individual
participates.</p>
<p>In exceptional circumstances (e.g., situations that might jeopardize
the progress of a group or create a <a href="#coi">conflict of interest</a>),
the <a href="#def-Director">Director</a> <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
decline to allow an individual designated by an Advisory Committee
representative to participate in a group.</p>
<p>A group charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> limit the number of
individuals representing a W3C Member (or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related
- Members</a>).</p>
<h3>3.2 <a id="GeneralMeetings">Meetings</a></h3>
<p>W3C groups (including the <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory Committee</a>,
<a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>, <a href="#TAG">TAG</a>, and <a href="#GroupsWG">Working
- Groups</a>) <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> observe the meeting
requirements in this section.</p>
<p>W3C distinguishes two types of meetings:</p>
<ol>
<li>A <a id="ftf-meeting">face-to-face meeting</a> is one where most of
the attendees are expected to participate in the same physical
location.</li>
<li>A <a id="distributed-meeting">distributed meeting</a> is one where
most of the attendees are expected to participate from remote
locations (e.g., by telephone, video conferencing, or <abbr title="Internet Relay Chat">IRC</abbr>).</li>
</ol>
<p>A Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with a
particular expertise to attend a meeting on an exceptional basis. This
person is a meeting guest, not a group <a href="#participant">participant</a>.
Meeting guests do not have <a href="#Votes">voting rights</a>. It is
the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that all meeting guests
respect the chartered <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of
confidentiality</a> and other group requirements.</p>
<p>Meeting announcements <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be sent to
all appropriate group mailing lists, i.e., those most relevant to the
anticipated meeting participants.</p>
<p>The following table lists requirements for organizing a meeting:</p>
<table border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><br>
</th>
<th>Face-to-face meetings</th>
<th>Distributed meetings</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Meeting announcement (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">eight weeks<sup>*</sup></span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">one week<sup>*</sup></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Agenda available (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">two weeks</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span> (or longer if a
meeting is scheduled after a weekend or holiday)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Participation confirmed (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">three days</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Action items available (after)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">three days</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Minutes available (after)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">two weeks</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">48 hours</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><sup>*</sup> To allow proper planning (e.g., travel arrangements), the
Chair is responsible for giving sufficient advance notice about the date
and location of a meeting. Shorter notice for a meeting is allowed
provided that there are no objections from group participants.</p>
<h3>3.3 <a id="Consensus">Consensus</a></h3>
<p>Consensus is a core value of W3C. To promote consensus, the W3C process
requires Chairs to ensure that groups consider all legitimate views and
objections, and endeavor to resolve them, whether these views and
objections are expressed by the active participants of the group or by
others (e.g., another W3C group, a group in another organization, or the
general public). Decisions <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be made
during meetings (<a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face</a> or <a href="#distributed-meeting">distributed</a>)
as well as through email. <strong>Note:</strong> The Director, CEO, and
COO have the role of assessing consensus within the Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>The following terms are used in this document to describe the level of
support for a decision among a set of eligible individuals:</p>
<ol>
<li><a id="def-Consensus">Consensus</a>: A substantial number of
individuals in the set support the decision and nobody in the set
registers a <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objection</a>.
Individuals in the set may abstain. Abstention is either an explicit
expression of no opinion or silence by an individual in the set. <a id="def-Unanimity">Unanimity</a>
is the particular case of consensus where all individuals in the set
support the decision (i.e., no individual in the set abstains).</li>
<li><a id="def-Dissent">Dissent</a>: At least one individual in the set
registers a <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objection</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>By default, the set of individuals eligible to participate in a
decision is the set of group participants. The Process Document does not
require a quorum for decisions (i.e., the minimal number of eligible
participants required to be present before the Chair can call a
question). A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include a quorum
requirement for consensus decisions.</p>
<p>Where unanimity is not possible, a group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
strive to make consensus decisions where there is significant support
and few abstentions. The Process Document does not require a particular
percentage of eligible participants to agree to a motion in order for a
decision to be made. To avoid decisions where there is widespread
apathy, (i.e., little support and many abstentions), groups <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set minimum thresholds of active support before a decision can be
recorded. The appropriate percentage <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
vary depending on the size of the group and the nature of the decision.
A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include threshold
requirements for consensus decisions. For instance, a charter might
require a supermajority of eligible participants (i.e., some established
percentage above 50%) to support certain types of consensus decisions.</p>
<h4>3.3.1 <a id="managing-dissent">Managing Dissent</a></h4>
<p>In some cases, even after careful consideration of all points of view,
a group might find itself unable to reach consensus. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
record a decision where there is dissent (i.e., there is at least one <a
href="#FormalObjection">Formal
- Objection</a>) so that the group may make progress (for example, to
produce a deliverable in a timely manner). Dissenters cannot stop a
group's work simply by saying that they cannot live with a decision.
When the Chair believes that the Group has duly considered the
legitimate concerns of dissenters as far as is possible and reasonable,
the group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> move on.</p>
<p>Groups <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> favor proposals that create
the weakest objections. This is preferred over proposals that are
supported by a large majority but that cause strong objections from a
few people. As part of making a decision where there is dissent, the
Chair is expected to be aware of which participants work for the same
(or <a href="#MemberRelated">related</a>) Member organizations and
weigh their input accordingly.</p>
<h4>3.3.2 <a id="WGArchiveMinorityViews">Recording and Reporting Formal
Objections</a></h4>
<p>In the W3C process, an individual may register a Formal Objection to a
decision. A <a id="FormalObjection">Formal Objection</a> to a group
decision is one that the reviewer requests that the Director consider as
part of evaluating the related decision (e.g., in response to a <a href="#rec-advance">request
- to advance</a> a technical report). <strong>Note:</strong> In this
document, the term "Formal Objection" is used to emphasize this process
implication: Formal Objections receive Director consideration. The word
"objection" used alone has ordinary English connotations.</p>
<p>An individual who registers a Formal Objection <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
cite technical arguments and propose changes that would remove the
Formal Objection; these proposals <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be
vague or incomplete. Formal Objections that do not provide substantive
arguments or rationale are unlikely to receive serious consideration by
the Director.</p>
<p>A record of each Formal Objection <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
<a href="#confidentiality-change">publicly available</a>. A Call for
Review (of a document) to the Advisory Committee <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
identify any Formal Objections.</p>
<h4>3.3.3 <a id="formal-address">Formally Addressing an Issue</a></h4>
<p>In the context of this document, a group has formally addressed an
issue when it has sent a public, substantive response to the reviewer
who raised the issue. A substantive response is expected to include
rationale for decisions (e.g., a technical explanation, a pointer to
charter scope, or a pointer to a requirements document). The adequacy of
a response is measured against what a W3C reviewer would generally
consider to be technically sound. If a group believes that a reviewer's
comments result from a misunderstanding, the group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
seek clarification before reaching a decision.</p>
<p>As a courtesy, both Chairs and reviewers <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set expectations for the schedule of responses and acknowledgments. The
group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> reply to a reviewer's initial
comments in a timely manner. The group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set a time limit for acknowledgment by a reviewer of the group's
substantive response; a reviewer cannot block a group's progress. It is
common for a reviewer to require a week or more to acknowledge and
comment on a substantive response. The group's responsibility to respond
to reviewers does not end once a reasonable amount of time has elapsed.
However, reviewers <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> realize that
their comments will carry less weight if not sent to the group in a
timely manner.</p>
<p>Substantive responses <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be recorded.
The group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> maintain an accurate
summary of all substantive issues and responses to them (e.g., in the
form of an issues list with links to mailing list archives).</p>
<h4>3.3.4 <a id="WGChairReopen">Reopening a Decision When Presented With
New Information</a></h4>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> reopen a decision when
presented with new information, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>additional technical information,</li>
<li>comments by email from participants who were unable to attend a
scheduled meeting,</li>
<li>comments by email from meeting attendees who chose not to speak out
during a meeting (e.g., so they could confer later with colleagues or
for cultural reasons).</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> record that a decision
has been reopened, and <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> do so upon
request from a group participant.</p>
<h3>3.4 <a id="Votes">Votes</a></h3>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> only conduct a vote to
resolve a <em>substantive issue</em> after the Chair has determined
that all available means of <a href="#Consensus">reaching consensus</a>
through technical discussion and compromise have failed, and that a vote
is necessary to break a deadlock. In this case the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
record (e.g., in the minutes of the meeting or in an archived email
message):</p>
<ul>
<li>an explanation of the issue being voted on;</li>
<li>the decision to conduct a vote (e.g., a simple majority vote) to
resolve the issue;</li>
<li>the outcome of the vote;</li>
<li>any Formal Objections.</li>
</ul>
<p>In order to vote to resolve a substantive issue, an individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be a group <a href="#participant">participant</a>. Each organization
represented in the group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have at most
one vote, even when the organization is represented by several
participants in the group (including Invited Experts). For the purposes
of voting:</p>
<ul>
<li>A Member or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>
is considered a single organization.</li>
<li>The <a href="#Team">Team</a> is considered an organization.</li>
</ul>
<p>Unless the charter states otherwise, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
- Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> vote.</p>
<p>If a participant is unable to attend a vote, that individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
authorize anyone at the meeting to act as a <a id="proxy">proxy</a>.
The absent participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the
Chair in writing who is acting as proxy, with written instructions on
the use of the proxy. For a Working Group or Interest Group, see the
related requirements regarding an individual who attends a meeting as a
<a href="#mtg-substitute">substitute</a> for a participant.</p>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> vote for other purposes than
to resolve a substantive issue. For instance, the Chair often conducts a
"straw poll" vote as a means of determining whether there is consensus
about a potential decision.</p>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also vote to make a process
decision. For example, it is appropriate to decide by simple majority
whether to hold a meeting in San Francisco or San Jose (there's not much
difference geographically). When simple majority votes are used to
decide minor issues, the minority are <span class="rfc2119">NOT
REQUIRED</span> to state the reasons for their dissent, and the group
is <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to record individual
votes.</p>
<p>A group charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> include formal
voting procedures (e.g., quorum or threshold requirements) for making
decisions about substantive issues.</p>
<p>Procedures for <a href="#ACVotes">Advisory Committee votes</a> are
described separately.</p>
<h3>3.5 <a id="WGAppeals">Appeal of a Chair's Decision</a></h3>
<p>Groups resolve issues through dialog. Individuals who disagree strongly
with a decision <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> register with the
Chair any <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objections</a> (e.g., to a
decision made as the result of a <a href="#Votes">vote</a>).</p>
<p>When group participants believe that their concerns are not being duly
considered by the group, they <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
<a href="#def-Director">Director</a> (for representatives of a Member
organization, via their Advisory Committee representative) to confirm or
deny the decision. The participants <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
also make their requests known to the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
Contact</a>. The Team Contact <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Director when a group participant has raised concerns about
due process.</p>
<p>Any requests to the Director to confirm a decision <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include a summary of the issue (whether technical or procedural),
decision, and rationale for the objection. All counter-arguments,
rationales, and decisions <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
recorded.</p>
<p>Procedures for <a href="#ACAppeal">Advisory Committee appeals</a> are
described separately.</p>
<h3>3.6 <a id="resignation">Resignation from a Group</a></h3>
<p>A W3C Member or Invited Expert <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> resign
from a group. The Team will establish administrative procedures for
resignation. See section 4.2. of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
+ Members</a>).</p>
<h3 id="GeneralMeetings">3.2 Meetings</h3>
<p>W3C groups (including the <a href="#ACMeetings">Advisory Committee</a>,
<a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>, <a href="#TAG">TAG</a>, and <a href="#GroupsWG">Working
+ Groups</a>) <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> observe the meeting
requirements in this section.</p>
<p>W3C distinguishes two types of meetings:</p>
<ol>
<li>A <dfn id="ftf-meeting">face-to-face meeting</dfn> is one where
most of the attendees are expected to participate in the same physical
location.</li>
<li>A <dfn id="distributed-meeting">distributed meeting</dfn> is one
where most of the attendees are expected to participate from remote
locations (e.g., by telephone, video conferencing, or <abbr title="Internet Relay Chat">IRC</abbr>).</li>
</ol>
<p>A Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with a
particular expertise to attend a meeting on an exceptional basis. This
person is a meeting guest, not a group <a href="#participant">participant</a>.
Meeting guests do not have <a href="#Votes">voting rights</a>. It is
the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that all meeting guests
respect the chartered <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of
confidentiality</a> and other group requirements.</p>
<p>Meeting announcements <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be sent to
all appropriate group mailing lists, i.e., those most relevant to the
anticipated meeting participants.</p>
<p>The following table lists requirements for organizing a meeting:</p>
<table border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><br>
</th>
<th>Face-to-face meetings</th>
<th>Distributed meetings</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Meeting announcement (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">eight weeks<sup>*</sup></span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">one week<sup>*</sup></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Agenda available (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">two weeks</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span> (or longer if a
meeting is scheduled after a weekend or holiday)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Participation confirmed (before)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">three days</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Action items available (after)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">three days</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">24 hours</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Minutes available (after)</th>
<td><span class="time-interval">two weeks</span></td>
<td><span class="time-interval">48 hours</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><sup>*</sup> To allow proper planning (e.g., travel arrangements), the
Chair is responsible for giving sufficient advance notice about the date
and location of a meeting. Shorter notice for a meeting is allowed
provided that there are no objections from group participants.</p>
<h3 id="Consensus">3.3 Consensus</h3>
<p>Consensus is a core value of W3C. To promote consensus, the W3C process
requires Chairs to ensure that groups consider all legitimate views and
objections, and endeavor to resolve them, whether these views and
objections are expressed by the active participants of the group or by
others (e.g., another W3C group, a group in another organization, or the
general public). Decisions <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be made
during meetings (<a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face</a> or <a href="#distributed-meeting">distributed</a>)
as well as through email. <strong>Note:</strong> The Director, CEO, and
COO have the role of assessing consensus within the Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>The following terms are used in this document to describe the level of
support for a decision among a set of eligible individuals:</p>
<ol>
<li><dfn id="def-Consensus">Consensus</dfn>: A substantial number of
individuals in the set support the decision and nobody in the set
registers a <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objection</a>.
Individuals in the set may abstain. Abstention is either an explicit
expression of no opinion or silence by an individual in the set. <dfn
id="def-Unanimity">Unanimity</dfn>
is the particular case of consensus where all individuals in the set
support the decision (i.e., no individual in the set abstains).</li>
<li><dfn id="def-Dissent">Dissent</dfn>: At least one individual in the
set registers a <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objection</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>By default, the set of individuals eligible to participate in a
decision is the set of group participants. The Process Document does not
require a quorum for decisions (i.e., the minimal number of eligible
participants required to be present before the Chair can call a
question). A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include a quorum
requirement for consensus decisions.</p>
<p>Where unanimity is not possible, a group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
strive to make consensus decisions where there is significant support
and few abstentions. The Process Document does not require a particular
percentage of eligible participants to agree to a motion in order for a
decision to be made. To avoid decisions where there is widespread
apathy, (i.e., little support and many abstentions), groups <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set minimum thresholds of active support before a decision can be
recorded. The appropriate percentage <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
vary depending on the size of the group and the nature of the decision.
A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include threshold
requirements for consensus decisions. For instance, a charter might
require a supermajority of eligible participants (i.e., some established
percentage above 50%) to support certain types of consensus decisions.</p>
<h4 id="managing-dissent">3.3.1 Managing Dissent</h4>
<p>In some cases, even after careful consideration of all points of view,
a group might find itself unable to reach consensus. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
record a decision where there is dissent (i.e., there is at least one <a
href="#FormalObjection">Formal
+ Objection</a>) so that the group may make progress (for example, to
produce a deliverable in a timely manner). Dissenters cannot stop a
group's work simply by saying that they cannot live with a decision.
When the Chair believes that the Group has duly considered the
legitimate concerns of dissenters as far as is possible and reasonable,
the group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> move on.</p>
<p>Groups <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> favor proposals that create
the weakest objections. This is preferred over proposals that are
supported by a large majority but that cause strong objections from a
few people. As part of making a decision where there is dissent, the
Chair is expected to be aware of which participants work for the same
(or <a href="#MemberRelated">related</a>) Member organizations and
weigh their input accordingly.</p>
<h4 id="WGArchiveMinorityViews">3.3.2 Recording and Reporting Formal
Objections</h4>
<p>In the W3C process, an individual may register a Formal Objection to a
decision. A <dfn id="FormalObjection">Formal Objection</dfn> to a group
decision is one that the reviewer requests that the Director consider as
part of evaluating the related decision (e.g., in response to a <a href="#rec-advance">request
+ to advance</a> a technical report). <strong>Note:</strong> In this
document, the term "Formal Objection" is used to emphasize this process
implication: Formal Objections receive Director consideration. The word
"objection" used alone has ordinary English connotations.</p>
<p>An individual who registers a Formal Objection <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
cite technical arguments and propose changes that would remove the
Formal Objection; these proposals <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be
vague or incomplete. Formal Objections that do not provide substantive
arguments or rationale are unlikely to receive serious consideration by
the Director.</p>
<p>A record of each Formal Objection <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
<a href="#confidentiality-change">publicly available</a>. A Call for
Review (of a document) to the Advisory Committee <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
identify any Formal Objections.</p>
<h4 id="formal-address">3.3.3 Formally Addressing an Issue</h4>
<p>In the context of this document, a group has formally addressed an
issue when it has sent a public, substantive response to the reviewer
who raised the issue. A substantive response is expected to include
rationale for decisions (e.g., a technical explanation, a pointer to
charter scope, or a pointer to a requirements document). The adequacy of
a response is measured against what a W3C reviewer would generally
consider to be technically sound. If a group believes that a reviewer's
comments result from a misunderstanding, the group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
seek clarification before reaching a decision.</p>
<p>As a courtesy, both Chairs and reviewers <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set expectations for the schedule of responses and acknowledgments. The
group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> reply to a reviewer's initial
comments in a timely manner. The group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
set a time limit for acknowledgment by a reviewer of the group's
substantive response; a reviewer cannot block a group's progress. It is
common for a reviewer to require a week or more to acknowledge and
comment on a substantive response. The group's responsibility to respond
to reviewers does not end once a reasonable amount of time has elapsed.
However, reviewers <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> realize that
their comments will carry less weight if not sent to the group in a
timely manner.</p>
<p>Substantive responses <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be recorded.
The group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> maintain an accurate
summary of all substantive issues and responses to them (e.g., in the
form of an issues list with links to mailing list archives).</p>
<h4 id="WGChairReopen">3.3.4 Reopening a Decision When Presented With New
Information</h4>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> reopen a decision when
presented with new information, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>additional technical information,</li>
<li>comments by email from participants who were unable to attend a
scheduled meeting,</li>
<li>comments by email from meeting attendees who chose not to speak out
during a meeting (e.g., so they could confer later with colleagues or
for cultural reasons).</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> record that a decision
has been reopened, and <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> do so upon
request from a group participant.</p>
<h3 id="Votes">3.4 Votes</h3>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> only conduct a vote to
resolve a <em>substantive issue</em> after the Chair has determined
that all available means of <a href="#Consensus">reaching consensus</a>
through technical discussion and compromise have failed, and that a vote
is necessary to break a deadlock. In this case the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
record (e.g., in the minutes of the meeting or in an archived email
message):</p>
<ul>
<li>an explanation of the issue being voted on;</li>
<li>the decision to conduct a vote (e.g., a simple majority vote) to
resolve the issue;</li>
<li>the outcome of the vote;</li>
<li>any Formal Objections.</li>
</ul>
<p>In order to vote to resolve a substantive issue, an individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be a group <a href="#participant">participant</a>. Each organization
represented in the group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have at most
one vote, even when the organization is represented by several
participants in the group (including Invited Experts). For the purposes
of voting:</p>
<ul>
<li>A Member or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>
is considered a single organization.</li>
<li>The <a href="#Team">Team</a> is considered an organization.</li>
</ul>
<p>Unless the charter states otherwise, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
+ Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> vote.</p>
<p>If a participant is unable to attend a vote, that individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
authorize anyone at the meeting to act as a <dfn id="proxy">proxy</dfn>.
The absent participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the
Chair in writing who is acting as proxy, with written instructions on
the use of the proxy. For a Working Group or Interest Group, see the
related requirements regarding an individual who attends a meeting as a
<a href="#mtg-substitute">substitute</a> for a participant.</p>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> vote for other purposes than
to resolve a substantive issue. For instance, the Chair often conducts a
"straw poll" vote as a means of determining whether there is consensus
about a potential decision.</p>
<p>A group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also vote to make a process
decision. For example, it is appropriate to decide by simple majority
whether to hold a meeting in San Francisco or San Jose (there's not much
difference geographically). When simple majority votes are used to
decide minor issues, the minority are <span class="rfc2119">NOT
REQUIRED</span> to state the reasons for their dissent, and the group
is <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to record individual
votes.</p>
<p>A group charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> include formal
voting procedures (e.g., quorum or threshold requirements) for making
decisions about substantive issues.</p>
<p>Procedures for <a href="#ACVotes">Advisory Committee votes</a> are
described separately.</p>
<h3 id="WGAppeals">3.5 Appeal of a Chair's Decision</h3>
<p>Groups resolve issues through dialog. Individuals who disagree strongly
with a decision <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> register with the
Chair any <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal Objections</a> (e.g., to a
decision made as the result of a <a href="#Votes">vote</a>).</p>
<p>When group participants believe that their concerns are not being duly
considered by the group, they <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
<a href="#def-Director">Director</a> (for representatives of a Member
organization, via their Advisory Committee representative) to confirm or
deny the decision. The participants <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
also make their requests known to the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
Contact</a>. The Team Contact <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Director when a group participant has raised concerns about
due process.</p>
<p>Any requests to the Director to confirm a decision <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include a summary of the issue (whether technical or procedural),
decision, and rationale for the objection. All counter-arguments,
rationales, and decisions <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
recorded.</p>
<p>Procedures for <a href="#ACAppeal">Advisory Committee appeals</a> are
described separately.</p>
<h3 id="resignation">3.6 Resignation from a Group</h3>
<p>A W3C Member or Invited Expert <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> resign
from a group. The Team will establish administrative procedures for
resignation. See section 4.2. of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent
- Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>] for information
about obligations remaining after resignation from certain groups.</p>
<section id="chapterDissemination">
<h2>4 <a id="dissemination">Dissemination Policies</a></h2>
<p>The Team is responsible for managing communication within W3C and
with the general public (e.g., news services, press releases, managing
the Web site and access privileges, and managing calendars). Members <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
solicit review by the Team prior to issuing press releases about their
work within W3C.</p>
<p>The Team makes every effort to ensure the persistence and
availability of the following public information:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Reports">W3C technical reports</a> whose publication has
been approved by the Director. Per the Membership Agreement, W3C
technical reports (and software) are available free of charge to the
general public; (refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
+ Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>] for information
about obligations remaining after resignation from certain groups.</p>
<section id="chapterDissemination">
<h2 id="dissemination">4 Dissemination Policies</h2>
<p>The Team is responsible for managing communication within W3C and
with the general public (e.g., news services, press releases, managing
the Web site and access privileges, and managing calendars). Members <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
solicit review by the Team prior to issuing press releases about their
work within W3C.</p>
<p>The Team makes every effort to ensure the persistence and
availability of the following public information:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Reports">W3C technical reports</a> whose publication has
been approved by the Director. Per the Membership Agreement, W3C
technical reports (and software) are available free of charge to the
general public; (refer to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
Document License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>]).</li>
<li>A <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/mission">mission
statement</a> [<a href="#ref-mission">PUB15</a>] that explains the
purpose and mission of W3C, the key benefits for Members, and the
organizational structure of W3C.</li>
<li>Legal documents, including the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
- Agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-member-agreement">PUB6</a>]) and
documentation of any legal commitments W3C has with other entities.</li>
<li>The Process Document.</li>
<li>Public results of W3C activities and <a href="#GAEvents">Workshops</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>To keep the Members abreast of W3C meetings, Workshops, and review
deadlines, the Team provides them with a regular (e.g., weekly) news
service and maintains a <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Eventscal">calendar</a>
[<a href="#ref-calendar">MEM3</a>] of official W3C events. Members are
encouraged to send schedule and event information to the Team for
inclusion on this calendar.</p>
<h3>4.1 <a id="confidentiality-levels">Confidentiality Levels</a></h3>
<p>There are three principal levels of access to W3C information (on the
W3C Web site, in W3C meetings, etc.): public, Member-only, and
Team-only.</p>
<p>While much information made available by W3C is public, <a id="Member-only">"Member-only"
- information</a> is available to authorized parties only, including
representatives of Member organizations, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
- Experts</a>, the Advisory Board, the TAG, and the Team. For example,
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a> of some Working Groups may
specify a Member-only confidentiality level for group proceedings.</p>
<p><a id="Team-only">"Team-only" information</a> is available to the
Team and other authorized parties.</p>
<p>Those authorized to access Member-only and Team-only information:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> treat the information as
confidential within W3C,</li>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> use reasonable efforts to
maintain the proper level confidentiality, and</li>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> release this information to
the general public or press.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide mechanisms to
protect the confidentiality of Member-only information and ensure that
authorized parties have proper access to this information. Documents <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
clearly indicate whether they require Member-only confidentiality.
Individuals uncertain of the confidentiality level of a piece of
information <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> contact the Team.</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
authorize Member-only access to <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a> and other individuals employed by the Member who
are considered appropriate recipients. For instance, it is the
responsibility of the Advisory Committee representative and other
employees and official representatives of the organization to ensure
that Member-only news announcements are distributed for internal use
only within their organization. Information about Member mailing lists
is available in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
Member Orientation</a>.</p>
<h4>4.1.1 <a id="confidentiality-change">Changing Confidentiality Level</a></h4>
<p>As a benefit of membership, W3C provides some Team-only and
Member-only channels for certain types of communication. For example,
Advisory Committee representatives can send <a href="#ACReview">reviews</a>
to a Team-only channel. However, for W3C processes with a significant
public component, such as the technical report development process, it
is also important for information that affects decision-making to be
publicly available. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> need to
communicate Team-only information to a Working Group or the public.
Similarly, a Working Group whose proceedings are Member-only <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
make public information pertinent to the technical report development
process.</p>
<p>This document clearly indicates which information <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be available to Members or the public, even though that information
was initially communicated on Team-only or Member-only channels. Only
the Team and parties authorized by the Team change the level of
confidentiality of this information. When doing so:</p>
<ol>
<li>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> use a version of the
information that was expressly provided by the author for the new
confidentiality level. In Calls for Review and other similar
messages, the Team <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> remind
recipients to provide such alternatives.</li>
<li>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> attribute the
version for the new confidentiality level to the author without the
author's consent.</li>
<li>If the author has not conveyed to the Team a version that is
suitable for another confidentiality level, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
make available a version that reasonably communicates what is
required, while respecting the original level of confidentiality,
and without attribution to the original author.</li>
</ol>
</section>
<section id="ChapterGroups">
<h2>6 <a id="GAGeneral">Working Groups and Interest Groups</a></h2>
<p><a id="GAGroups">This document defines three types of groups:</a></p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#GroupsWG">Working Groups.</a> Working Groups typically
produce deliverables (e.g., <a href="#rec-advance">Recommendation
Track technical reports</a>, software, test suites, and reviews of
the deliverables of other groups). There are additional
participation requirements described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
+ Agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-member-agreement">PUB6</a>]) and
documentation of any legal commitments W3C has with other entities.</li>
<li>The Process Document.</li>
<li>Public results of W3C activities and <a href="#GAEvents">Workshops</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>To keep the Members abreast of W3C meetings, Workshops, and review
deadlines, the Team provides them with a regular (e.g., weekly) news
service and maintains a <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Eventscal">calendar</a>
[<a href="#ref-calendar">MEM3</a>] of official W3C events. Members are
encouraged to send schedule and event information to the Team for
inclusion on this calendar.</p>
<h3 id"confidentiality-levels"="">4.1 Confidentiality Levels</h3>
<p>There are three principal levels of access to W3C information (on the
W3C Web site, in W3C meetings, etc.): public, Member-only, and
Team-only.</p>
<p>While much information made available by W3C is public, <dfn id="Member-only">"Member-only"
+ information</dfn> is available to authorized parties only, including
representatives of Member organizations, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
+ Experts</a>, the Advisory Board, the TAG, and the Team. For example,
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a> of some Working Groups may
specify a Member-only confidentiality level for group proceedings.</p>
<p id="Team-only">"Team-only" information is available to the Team and
other authorized parties.</p>
<p>Those authorized to access Member-only and Team-only information:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> treat the information as
confidential within W3C,</li>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> use reasonable efforts to
maintain the proper level confidentiality, and</li>
<li><span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> release this information to
the general public or press.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide mechanisms to
protect the confidentiality of Member-only information and ensure that
authorized parties have proper access to this information. Documents <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
clearly indicate whether they require Member-only confidentiality.
Individuals uncertain of the confidentiality level of a piece of
information <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> contact the Team.</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
authorize Member-only access to <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a> and other individuals employed by the Member who
are considered appropriate recipients. For instance, it is the
responsibility of the Advisory Committee representative and other
employees and official representatives of the organization to ensure
that Member-only news announcements are distributed for internal use
only within their organization. Information about Member mailing lists
is available in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
Member Orientation</a>.</p>
<h4 id="confidentiality-change">4.1.1 Changing Confidentiality Level</h4>
<p>As a benefit of membership, W3C provides some Team-only and
Member-only channels for certain types of communication. For example,
Advisory Committee representatives can send <a href="#ACReview">reviews</a>
to a Team-only channel. However, for W3C processes with a significant
public component, such as the technical report development process, it
is also important for information that affects decision-making to be
publicly available. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> need to
communicate Team-only information to a Working Group or the public.
Similarly, a Working Group whose proceedings are Member-only <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
make public information pertinent to the technical report development
process.</p>
<p>This document clearly indicates which information <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be available to Members or the public, even though that information
was initially communicated on Team-only or Member-only channels. Only
the Team and parties authorized by the Team change the level of
confidentiality of this information. When doing so:</p>
<ol>
<li>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> use a version of the
information that was expressly provided by the author for the new
confidentiality level. In Calls for Review and other similar
messages, the Team <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> remind
recipients to provide such alternatives.</li>
<li>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> attribute the
version for the new confidentiality level to the author without the
author's consent.</li>
<li>If the author has not conveyed to the Team a version that is
suitable for another confidentiality level, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
make available a version that reasonably communicates what is
required, while respecting the original level of confidentiality,
and without attribution to the original author.</li>
</ol>
</section>
<section id="ChapterGroups">
<h2 id="GAGeneral">6 Working Groups and Interest Groups</h2>
<p id="GAGroups">This document defines two types of groups:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#GroupsWG">Working Groups.</a> Working Groups typically
produce deliverables (e.g., <a href="#rec-advance">Recommendation
Track technical reports</a>, software, test suites, and reviews of
the deliverables of other groups). There are additional
participation requirements described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</li>
<li><a href="#GroupsIG">Interest Groups.</a> The primary goal of an
Interest Group is to bring together people who wish to evaluate
potential Web technologies and policies. An Interest Group is a
forum for the exchange of ideas.</li>
</ol>
<p>Interest Groups do not publish <a href="#RecsW3C">Recommendation
Track technical reports</a>; see information about <a href="#WGNote">maturity
- levels for Interest Groups</a>.</p>
<h3>6.1 <a id="ReqsAllGroups">Requirements for All Working and Interest
Groups</a></h3>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a charter.
Requirements for the charter depend on the group type. All group
charters <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be public (even if other
proceedings of the group are <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a>).
Existing charters that are not yet public <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be made public when next revised or extended (with attention to <a href="#confidentiality-change">changing
- confidentiality level</a>).</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a id="GeneralChairs">Chair</a>
(or co-Chairs) to coordinate the group's tasks. The Director appoints
(and re-appoints) Chairs for all groups. The Chair is a <a href="#member-rep">Member
+ levels for Interest Groups</a>.</p>
<h3 id="ReqsAllGroups">6.1 Requirements for All Working and Interest
Groups</h3>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a charter.
Requirements for the charter depend on the group type. All group
charters <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be public (even if other
proceedings of the group are <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a>).
Existing charters that are not yet public <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
be made public when next revised or extended (with attention to <a href="#confidentiality-change">changing
+ confidentiality level</a>).</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <dfn id="GeneralChairs">Chair</dfn>
(or co-Chairs) to coordinate the group's tasks. The Director appoints
(and re-appoints) Chairs for all groups. The Chair is a <a href="#member-rep">Member
representative</a>, a <a href="#Team">Team representative</a>, or
an <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert</a> (invited by the
Director). The requirements of this document that apply to those types
of participants apply to Chairs as well. The <a href="/Guide/chair-roles">role
of the Chair [MEM14]</a> is described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">Member
- guide</a> [<a href="#ref-guide">MEM9</a>].</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a id="TeamContact">Team
- Contact</a>, who acts as the interface between the Chair, group
participants, and the rest of the Team. The <a href="/Guide/staff-contact">role
+ guide</a> [<a href="#ref-guide">MEM9</a>].</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <dfn id="TeamContact">Team
+ Contact</dfn>, who acts as the interface between the Chair, group
participants, and the rest of the Team. The <a href="/Guide/staff-contact">role
of the Team Contact</a> is described in the Member guide. The Chair
and the Team Contact of a group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span>
be the same individual.</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have an archived
mailing list for formal group communication (e.g., for meeting
announcements and minutes, documentation of decisions, and <a href="#FormalObjection">Formal
Objections</a> to decisions). It is the responsibility of the Chair
and Team Contact to ensure that new participants are subscribed to all
relevant mailing lists. Refer to the list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Mail/">group
mailing
lists</a> [<a href="#ref-mailing-lists">MEM2</a>].</p>
<p>A Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> form task forces (composed
of group participants) to carry out assignments for the group. The
scope of these assignments <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
exceed the scope of the group's charter. A group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
document the process it uses to create task forces (e.g., each task
force might have an informal "charter"). Task forces do not publish <a
href="#Reports">technical
- reports</a>; the Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
choose to publish their results as part of a technical report.</p>
<h3>6.2 <a id="GroupsWG">Working Groups</a> and <a id="GroupsIG">Interest
- Groups</a></h3>
<p>Although Working Groups and Interest Groups have different purposes,
they share some characteristics, and so are defined together in the
following sections.</p>
<h4>6.2.1 <a id="group-participation">Working Group and Interest Group
Participation Requirements</a></h4>
<p>There are three types of individual <a id="wgparticipant">participants
- in a Working Group</a>: <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a>, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>,
and <a href="#Team">Team representatives</a> (including the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
- Contact</a>).</p>
<p>There are four types of individual <a id="igparticipant">participants
- in an Interest Group</a>: the same three types as for Working Groups
plus, for an Interest Group where the only <a href="#ig-mail-only">participation
- requirement is mailing list subscription</a>, <a id="public-participant-ig">public
- participants</a>.</p>
<p>Except where noted in this document or in a group charter, all
participants share the same rights and responsibilities in a group;
see also the <a href="#ParticipationCriteria">individual
participation criteria</a>.</p>
<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> represent at most
one organization in a Working Group or Interest Group.</p>
<p>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> become a Working or
Interest Group participant at any time during the group's existence.
See also relevant requirements in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-join">section
+ reports</a>; the Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
choose to publish their results as part of a technical report.</p>
<h3>6.2 <dfn id="GroupsWG">Working Groups</dfn> and <dfn id="GroupsIG">Interest
+ Groups</dfn></h3>
<p>Although Working Groups and Interest Groups have different purposes,
they share some characteristics, and so are defined together in the
following sections.</p>
<h4>6.2.1 <dfn id="group-participation">Working Group and Interest
Group Participation Requirements</dfn></h4>
<p>There are three types of individual <dfn id="wgparticipant">participants
+ in a Working Group</dfn>: <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a>, <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>,
and <a href="#Team">Team representatives</a> (including the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
+ Contact</a>).</p>
<p>There are four types of individual <dfn id="igparticipant">participants
+ in an Interest Group</dfn>: the same three types as for Working
Groups plus, for an Interest Group where the only <a href="#ig-mail-only">participation
+ requirement is mailing list subscription</a>, <dfn id="public-participant-ig">public
+ participants</dfn>.</p>
<p>Except where noted in this document or in a group charter, all
participants share the same rights and responsibilities in a group;
see also the <a href="#ParticipationCriteria">individual
participation criteria</a>.</p>
<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> represent at most
one organization in a Working Group or Interest Group.</p>
<p>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> become a Working or
Interest Group participant at any time during the group's existence.
See also relevant requirements in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-join">section
4.3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
- Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p>On an exceptional basis, a Working or Interest Group participant <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
designate a <a id="mtg-substitute">substitute</a> to attend a <a href="#GeneralMeetings">meeting</a>
and <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> inform the Chair. The
substitute <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> act on behalf of the
participant, including for <a href="#Votes">votes</a>. For the
substitute to vote, the participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Chair in writing in advance. As a courtesy to the group, if
the substitute is not well-versed in the group's discussions, the
regular participant <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> authorize
another participant to act as <a href="#proxy">proxy</a> for votes.</p>
<p>To allow rapid progress, Working Groups are intended to be small
(typically fewer than 15 people) and composed of experts in the area
defined by the charter. In principle, Interest Groups have no limit on
the number of participants. When a Working Group grows too large to be
effective, W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> split it into an
Interest Group (a discussion forum) and a much smaller Working Group
(a core group of highly dedicated participants).</p>
<p>See also the licensing obligations on Working Group participants in <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
+ Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p>On an exceptional basis, a Working or Interest Group participant <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
designate a <dfn id="mtg-substitute">substitute</dfn> to attend a <a
href="#GeneralMeetings">meeting</a>
and <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> inform the Chair. The
substitute <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> act on behalf of the
participant, including for <a href="#Votes">votes</a>. For the
substitute to vote, the participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Chair in writing in advance. As a courtesy to the group, if
the substitute is not well-versed in the group's discussions, the
regular participant <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> authorize
another participant to act as <a href="#proxy">proxy</a> for votes.</p>
<p>To allow rapid progress, Working Groups are intended to be small
(typically fewer than 15 people) and composed of experts in the area
defined by the charter. In principle, Interest Groups have no limit on
the number of participants. When a Working Group grows too large to be
effective, W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> split it into an
Interest Group (a discussion forum) and a much smaller Working Group
(a core group of highly dedicated participants).</p>
<p>See also the licensing obligations on Working Group participants in <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], and the
patent claim exclusion process of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Exclusion">section
- 4</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.1 <a id="member-rep-wg">Member Representative</a> in a
Working Group</h5>
<p>An individual is a Member representative in a Working Group if all of
the following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question
has designated the individual as a Working Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a id="member-rep-info">To designate an individual as a Member
representative in a Working Group</a>, an Advisory Committee
representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide the Chair
and Team Contact with all of the following information, in addition to
any other information required by the <a href="#cfp">Call for
Participation</a> and charter (including the participation
requirements of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
- Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]):</p>
<ol>
<li>The name of the W3C Member the individual represents and whether
the individual is an employee of that Member organization;</li>
<li>A statement that the individual accepts the participation terms
set forth in the charter (with an indication of charter date or
version);</li>
<li>A statement that the Member will provide the necessary financial
support for participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and
conferences).</li>
</ol>
<p>A Member participates in a Working Group from the moment the first
Member representative joins the group until either of the following
occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Member <a href="#resignation">resigns</a> from the Working
Group; this is done through the Member's Advisory Committee
representative.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.2 <a id="member-rep-ig">Member Representative</a> in an
Interest Group</h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
+ 4</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.1 <dfn id="member-rep-wg">Member Representative</dfn> in a
Working Group</h5>
<p>An individual is a Member representative in a Working Group if all of
the following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question
has designated the individual as a Working Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><dfn id="member-rep-info">To designate an individual as a Member
representative in a Working Group</dfn>, an Advisory Committee
representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide the Chair
and Team Contact with all of the following information, in addition to
any other information required by the <a href="#cfp">Call for
Participation</a> and charter (including the participation
requirements of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
+ Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]):</p>
<ol>
<li>The name of the W3C Member the individual represents and whether
the individual is an employee of that Member organization;</li>
<li>A statement that the individual accepts the participation terms
set forth in the charter (with an indication of charter date or
version);</li>
<li>A statement that the Member will provide the necessary financial
support for participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and
conferences).</li>
</ol>
<p>A Member participates in a Working Group from the moment the first
Member representative joins the group until either of the following
occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Member <a href="#resignation">resigns</a> from the Working
Group; this is done through the Member's Advisory Committee
representative.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.2 <dfn id="member-rep-ig">Member Representative</dfn> in an
Interest Group</h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group
- mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Member
representative in an Interest Group if all of the following conditions
are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question
has designated the individual as an Interest Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as a Member representative in an Interest
Group, the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
follow the instructions in the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a>
and charter.</p>
<p>Member participation in an Interest Group ceases under the same
conditions as for a Working Group.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.3 <a id="invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert</a> in a Working
Group</h5>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with
a particular expertise to participate in a Working Group. This
individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> represent an organization
in the group (e.g., if acting as a liaison with another organization).</p>
<p>An individual is an Invited Expert in a Working Group if all of the
following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Chair has designated the individual as a group participant,</li>
<li>the Team Contact has agreed with the Chair's choice, and</li>
<li>the individual has provided the <a href="#inv-expert-info">information
+ mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Member
representative in an Interest Group if all of the following conditions
are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question
has designated the individual as an Interest Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as a Member representative in an Interest
Group, the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
follow the instructions in the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a>
and charter.</p>
<p>Member participation in an Interest Group ceases under the same
conditions as for a Working Group.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.3 <dfn id="invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert in a Working
Group</dfn></h5>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with
a particular expertise to participate in a Working Group. This
individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> represent an organization
in the group (e.g., if acting as a liaison with another organization).</p>
<p>An individual is an Invited Expert in a Working Group if all of the
following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Chair has designated the individual as a group participant,</li>
<li>the Team Contact has agreed with the Chair's choice, and</li>
<li>the individual has provided the <a href="#inv-expert-info">information
required
- of an Invited Expert</a> to the Chair and Team Contact.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as an Invited Expert in a Working Group,
the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Team Contact
and provide rationale for the choice. When the Chair and the Team
Contact disagree about a designation, the <a href="#def-Director">Director</a>
determines whether the individual will be invited to participate in
the Working Group.</p>
<p><a id="inv-expert-info">To be able to participate in a Working Group
as an Invited Expert</a>, an individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
do all of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>identify the organization, if any, the individual represents as a
participant in this group,</li>
<li>agree to the terms of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">invited
+ of an Invited Expert</a> to the Chair and Team Contact.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as an Invited Expert in a Working Group,
the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Team Contact
and provide rationale for the choice. When the Chair and the Team
Contact disagree about a designation, the <a href="#def-Director">Director</a>
determines whether the individual will be invited to participate in
the Working Group.</p>
<p><dfn id="inv-expert-info">To be able to participate in a Working
Group as an Invited Expert</dfn>, an individual <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
do all of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>identify the organization, if any, the individual represents as a
participant in this group,</li>
<li>agree to the terms of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">invited
expert and collaborators agreement</a> [<a href="#ref-invited-expert">PUB17</a>],</li>
<li>accept the participation terms set forth in the charter (including
the participation requirements of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
3</a> (especially 3.4) and <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Disclosure">section
6</a> (especially 6.10) of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
- Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]).
Indicate a specific charter date or version,</li>
<li>disclose whether the individual is an employee of a W3C Member;
see the <a href="#coi">conflict of interest policy</a>,</li>
<li>provide a statement of who will provide the necessary financial
support for the individual's participation (e.g., for travel,
telephone calls, and conferences), and</li>
<li>if the individual's employer (including a self-employed
individual) or the organization the individual represents is not a
W3C Member, indicate whether that organization intends to join W3C.
If the organization does not intend to join W3C, indicate reasons
the individual is aware of for this choice.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> designate as an
Invited Expert in a Working Group an individual who is an employee of
a W3C Member. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> use
Invited Expert status to circumvent participation limits imposed by
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>.</p>
<p>An Invited Expert participates in a Working Group from the moment the
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Chair or Director withdraws the invitation to participate, or</li>
<li>the individual <a href="#resignation">resigns</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.4 <a id="invited-expert-ig">Invited Expert</a> in an Interest
Group</h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
+ Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]).
Indicate a specific charter date or version,</li>
<li>disclose whether the individual is an employee of a W3C Member;
see the <a href="#coi">conflict of interest policy</a>,</li>
<li>provide a statement of who will provide the necessary financial
support for the individual's participation (e.g., for travel,
telephone calls, and conferences), and</li>
<li>if the individual's employer (including a self-employed
individual) or the organization the individual represents is not a
W3C Member, indicate whether that organization intends to join W3C.
If the organization does not intend to join W3C, indicate reasons
the individual is aware of for this choice.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> designate as an
Invited Expert in a Working Group an individual who is an employee of
a W3C Member. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> use
Invited Expert status to circumvent participation limits imposed by
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>.</p>
<p>An Invited Expert participates in a Working Group from the moment the
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Chair or Director withdraws the invitation to participate, or</li>
<li>the individual <a href="#resignation">resigns</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.4 <dfn id="invited-expert-ig">Invited Expert in an Interest
Group</dfn></h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group
mailing list subscription</a>, the participation requirements for an
Invited Expert in an Interest Group are the same as those for an <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
- Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.5 <a id="team-rep-wg">Team Representative in a Working Group</a></h5>
<p>An individual is a Team representative in a Working Group when so
designated by W3C management.</p>
<p>An Team representative participates in a Working Group from the
moment the individual joins the group until any of the following
occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>W3C management changes Team representation by sending email to the
Chair, cc'ing the group mailing list.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Team participates in a Working Group from the moment the Director
announces the creation of the group until the group closes.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.6 <a id="team-rep-ig">Team Representative in an Interest
Group</a></h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
+ Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.5 <dfn id="team-rep-wg">Team Representative in a Working
Group</dfn></h5>
<p>An individual is a Team representative in a Working Group when so
designated by W3C management.</p>
<p>A Team representative participates in a Working Group from the moment
the individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>W3C management changes Team representation by sending email to the
Chair, cc'ing the group mailing list.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Team participates in a Working Group from the moment the Director
announces the creation of the group until the group closes.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.6 <dfn id="team-rep-ig">Team Representative in an Interest
Group</dfn></h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group
- mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Team
representative in an Interest Group when so designated by W3C
management.</p>
<h4>6.2.2 <a id="WGCharterDevelopment">Working Group and Interest Group
Charter Development</a></h4>
<p>W3C creates a charter based on interest from the Members and Team.
The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> notify the Advisory
Committee when a charter for a new Working Group or Interest Group is
in development. This is intended to raise awareness, even if no formal
proposal is yet available. Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
express their general support on the <a href="#ACCommunication">Advisory
- Committee discussion list</a>.</p>
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> begin work on a Working Group
or Interest Group charter at any time.</p>
<h4>6.2.3 <a id="CharterReview">Advisory Committee Review</a> of a
Working Group or Interest Group Charter</h4>
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> solicit <a href="#ReviewAppeal">Advisory
+ mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Team
representative in an Interest Group when so designated by W3C
management.</p>
<h4>6.2.2 <dfn id="WGCharterDevelopment">Working Group and Interest
Group Charter Development</dfn></h4>
<p>W3C creates a charter based on interest from the Members and Team.
The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> notify the Advisory
Committee when a charter for a new Working Group or Interest Group is
in development. This is intended to raise awareness, even if no formal
proposal is yet available. Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
express their general support on the <a href="#ACCommunication">Advisory
+ Committee discussion list</a>.</p>
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> begin work on a Working Group
or Interest Group charter at any time.</p>
<h4>6.2.3 <dfn id="CharterReview">Advisory Committee Review of a
Working Group or Interest Group Charter</dfn></h4>
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> solicit <a href="#ReviewAppeal">Advisory
Committee review</a> of every new or substantively modified Working
Group or Interest Group charter. The Director is <span class="rfc2119">NOT
- REQUIRED</span> to solicit Advisory Committee review prior to a
charter extension or for minor changes. The review period <em class="rfc2119">must</em>
be at least four weeks.</p>
<p>The Director's Call for Review of a substantively modified charter <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
highlight important changes (e.g., regarding deliverables or resource
allocation) and include rationale for the changes.</p>
<h4>6.2.4 <a id="cfp">Call for Participation in a Working Group or
Interest Group</a></h4>
<p>After Advisory Committee review of a Working Group or Interest Group
charter, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> issue a Call
for Participation to the Advisory Committee. Charters <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
be amended based on review comments before the Director issues a Call
for Participation. </p>
<p>For a new group, this announcement officially creates the group. The
announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include a reference to
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a
href="#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>,
and the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>.</p>
<p>After a Call for Participation, any <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a> and <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be designated (or
re-designated).</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> creation or substantive modification of
a Working Group or Interest Group charter. </p>
<h4>6.2.5 <a id="charter-extension">Working Group and Interest Group
Charter Extension</a></h4>
<p>To extend a Working Group or Interest Group charter with no other
substantive modifications, the Director announces the extension to the
Advisory Committee. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
indicate the new duration. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
also include rationale for the extension, a reference to the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>,
the name(s) of the group's <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, the
name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>, and instructions
for joining the group.</p>
<p>After a charter extension, Advisory Committee representatives and the
Chair are <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to re-designate <a
href="#member-rep">Member
- representatives</a> and <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
Experts</a>.</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> the extension of a Working Group or
Interest Group charter. </p>
<h4>6.2.6 <a id="WGCharter">Working Group and Interest Group Charters</a></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include all of the following information.</p>
<ul>
<li>The group's mission (e.g., develop a technology or process, review
the work of other groups);</li>
<li>The scope of the group's work and criteria for success;</li>
<li>The duration of the group (typically from six months to two
years);</li>
<li>The nature of any deliverables (technical reports, reviews of the
deliverables of other groups, or software), expected milestones, and
the process for the group participants to approve the release of
these deliverables (including public intermediate results). A
charter is <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to include the
schedule for a review of another group's deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on the
deliverables of this group. For any dependencies, the charter <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
specify the mechanisms for communication about the deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside
of W3C. For example, one group's charter might specify that another
group is expected to review a technical report before it can become
a Recommendation. For any dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
specify when required deliverables are expected from the other
groups. The charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> set
expectations about how coordination with those groups will take
place; see the section on <a href="#Liaisons">liaisons with other
organizations</a>. Finally, the charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
specify expected conformance to the deliverables of the other
groups;</li>
<li>The <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
of the group's proceedings and deliverables;</li>
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
<li>If known, the date of the first <a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face
+ REQUIRED</span> to solicit Advisory Committee review prior to a
charter extension or for minor changes. The review period <em class="rfc2119">must</em>
be at least four weeks.</p>
<p>The Director's Call for Review of a substantively modified charter <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
highlight important changes (e.g., regarding deliverables or resource
allocation) and include rationale for the changes.</p>
<h4>6.2.4 <dfn id="cfp">Call for Participation in a Working Group or
Interest Group</dfn></h4>
<p>After Advisory Committee review of a Working Group or Interest Group
charter, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> issue a Call
for Participation to the Advisory Committee. Charters <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
be amended based on review comments before the Director issues a Call
for Participation. </p>
<p>For a new group, this announcement officially creates the group. The
announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include a reference to
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a
href="#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>,
and the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>.</p>
<p>After a Call for Participation, any <a href="#member-rep">Member
representatives</a> and <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be designated (or
re-designated).</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> creation or substantive modification of
a Working Group or Interest Group charter. </p>
<h4>6.2.5 <dfn id="charter-extension">Working Group and Interest Group
Charter Extension</dfn></h4>
<p>To extend a Working Group or Interest Group charter with no other
substantive modifications, the Director announces the extension to the
Advisory Committee. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
indicate the new duration. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
also include rationale for the extension, a reference to the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>,
the name(s) of the group's <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, the
name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>, and instructions
for joining the group.</p>
<p>After a charter extension, Advisory Committee representatives and the
Chair are <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to re-designate <a
href="#member-rep">Member
+ representatives</a> and <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited
Experts</a>.</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> the extension of a Working Group or
Interest Group charter. </p>
<h4>6.2.6 <dfn id="WGCharter">Working Group and Interest Group Charters</dfn></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include all of the following information.</p>
<ul>
<li>The group's mission (e.g., develop a technology or process, review
the work of other groups);</li>
<li>The scope of the group's work and criteria for success;</li>
<li>The duration of the group (typically from six months to two
years);</li>
<li>The nature of any deliverables (technical reports, reviews of the
deliverables of other groups, or software), expected milestones, and
the process for the group participants to approve the release of
these deliverables (including public intermediate results). A
charter is <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to include the
schedule for a review of another group's deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on the
deliverables of this group. For any dependencies, the charter <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
specify the mechanisms for communication about the deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside
of W3C. For example, one group's charter might specify that another
group is expected to review a technical report before it can become
a Recommendation. For any dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
specify when required deliverables are expected from the other
groups. The charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> set
expectations about how coordination with those groups will take
place; see the section on <a href="#Liaisons">liaisons with other
organizations</a>. Finally, the charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
specify expected conformance to the deliverables of the other
groups;</li>
<li>The <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
of the group's proceedings and deliverables;</li>
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
<li>If known, the date of the first <a href="#ftf-meeting">face-to-face
meeting</a>. The date of the first face-to-face meeting of a
proposed group <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> be sooner than
<span class="time-interval">eight weeks</span> after the date of the
proposal. </li>
<li>Communication mechanisms to be employed within the group, between
the group and the rest of W3C, and with the general public;</li>
<li>An estimate of the expected time commitment from participants;</li>
<li>The expected time commitment and level of involvement by the Team
(e.g., to track developments, write and edit technical reports,
develop code, or organize pilot experiments).</li>
<li>Intellectual property information. What are the intellectual
property (including patents and copyright) considerations affecting
the success of the Group? In particular, is there any reason to
believe that it will be difficult to meet the Royalty-Free licensing
goals of section 2 of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]? </li>
</ul>
<p>See also the charter requirements of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Licensing">section
2</a> and <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
- Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p id="ig-charter-participation">An Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
include provisions regarding participation, including specifying that
the <a id="ig-mail-only">only requirement for participation (by
anyone) in the Interest Group</a> is subscription to the Interest
Group mailing list. This type of Interest Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
have <a href="#public-participant-ig">public participants</a>.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
conflict with the <a href="#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the
Process Document.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other
than those required by this document. The charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
highlight whether additional provisions impose constraints beyond
those of the W3C Process Document (e.g., limits on the number of
individuals in a Working Group who represent the same Member
organization or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>).</p>
<h4>6.2.8 <a id="GeneralTermination">Working Group and Interest Group
Closure</a></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter specifies a duration for
the group. The Director, subject to <a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> by
Advisory Committee representatives, <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
close a group prior to the date specified in the charter in any of the
following circumstances:</p>
<ul>
<li>There are insufficient resources to produce chartered deliverables
or to maintain the group, according to priorities established within
W3C.</li>
<li>The group produces chartered deliverables ahead of schedule.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Director closes a Working Group or Interest Group by announcement
to the Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>Closing a Working Group has implications with respect to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
+ Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p id="ig-charter-participation">An Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
include provisions regarding participation, including specifying that
the <dfn id="ig-mail-only">only requirement for participation (by
anyone) in the Interest Group is subscription to the Interest Group
mailing list</dfn>. This type of Interest Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
have <a href="#public-participant-ig">public participants</a>.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
conflict with the <a href="#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the
Process Document.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other
than those required by this document. The charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
highlight whether additional provisions impose constraints beyond
those of the W3C Process Document (e.g., limits on the number of
individuals in a Working Group who represent the same Member
organization or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related Members</a>).</p>
<h4>6.2.8 <dfn id="GeneralTermination">Working Group and Interest Group
Closure</dfn></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter specifies a duration for
the group. The Director, subject to <a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a> by
Advisory Committee representatives, <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
close a group prior to the date specified in the charter in any of the
following circumstances:</p>
<ul>
<li>There are insufficient resources to produce chartered deliverables
or to maintain the group, according to priorities established within
W3C.</li>
<li>The group produces chartered deliverables ahead of schedule.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Director closes a Working Group or Interest Group by announcement
to the Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>Closing a Working Group has implications with respect to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
</section>
<h2 id="Reports">7 W3C Technical Report Development Process</h2>
<p>The W3C technical report development process is the set of steps and
requirements followed by W3C <a href="#GroupsWG">Working Groups</a> to
standardize Web technology. The W3C technical report development process
is designed to </p>
<ul>
<li>support multiple specification development methodologies</li>
<li>maximize <a href="#def-Consensus" rel="glossary" title="Definition of Consensus"><span
class="dfn-instance">consensus</span></a>
about the content of stable technical reports</li>
<li>ensure high technical and editorial quality</li>
<li>promote consistency among specifications</li>
<li>facilitate royalty-free, interoperable implementations of Web
Standards, and</li>
<li>earn endorsement by W3C and the broader community.</li>
</ul>
<p>See also the licensing goals for W3C Recommendations in <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Licensing">section
2</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]. </p>
<h3 id="rec-advance">7.1 W3C Technical Reports</h3>
<p>Please note that <dfn>publishing</dfn> as used in this document refers
to producing a version which is listed as a W3C Technical Report on its
<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">Technical Reports page
http://www.w3.org/TR</a>.</p>
<p>This chapter describes the formal requirements for publishing and
maintaining a W3C Recommendation or Note.</p>
<p>Typically a series of Working Drafts are published, each of which
refines a document under development to complete the scope of work
envisioned by a Working Group's charter. For a technical specification,
once review suggests the Working Group has met their requirements
satisfactorily for a new standard, there is a Candidate Recommendation
phase. This allows the entire W3C membership to provide feedback on
whether the specification should become a W3C Recommendation, while the
Working Group formally collects implementation experience to
demonstrate that the specification works in practice. The next phase is
a Proposed Recommendation, to finalize the review of W3C Members. If the
Director determines that W3C member review supports a specification
becoming a standard, W3C publishes it as a Recommendation.</p>
<p>Groups may also publish documents as W3C Notes, typically either to
document information other than technical specifications, such as use
cases motivating a specification and best practices for its use, or to
clarify the status of work that is abandoned. </p>
<p>Some W3C Notes are developed through successive Working Drafts, with an
expectation that they will become Notes, while others are simply
published. There are few formal requirements to publish a document as a
W3C Note, and they have no standing as a recommendation of W3C but are
simply documents preserved for historical reference.</p>
<p>Individual Working Groups and Interest Groups may adopt additional
processes for developing publications, so long as they do not conflict
with the requirements in this chapter.</p>
<h4 id="recs-and-notes">7.1.1 Recommendations and Notes</h4>
<p>W3C follows these steps when advancing a technical report to
Recommendation.</p>
<ol>
<li>Publication of the <a href="#first-wd">First Public Working Draft</a>,</li>
<li>Publication of zero or more revised <a href="#revised-wd">Public
Working Drafts</a>.</li>
<li>Publication of a <a href="#last-call">Candidate Recommendation</a>.</li>
<li>Publication of a <a href="#rec-pr">Proposed Recommendation</a>.</li>
<li>Publication as a <a href="#rec-publication">W3C Recommendation</a>.</li>
<li>Possibly, Publication as an <a href="#rec-edited">Edited
Recommendation</a></li>
</ol>
<p>
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viewBox="0 0 450 60"
height="5em"
width="45em">
<g id="ToFPWD" stroke="black" fill="black">
<a xlink:href="#first-wd"><text font-size="8" font-family="Times,serif"
y="38"
x="66"
text-anchor="start"
stroke="none">First
WD</text></a>
<path d="M66,40h33"></path>
<polygon points="98,36 108,40 98,44"></polygon> </g>
<g id="nodeWD">
<ellipse ry="18" rx="38" cy="40" cx="147" stroke="black" fill="none"></ellipse>
<a xlink:href="#RecsWD"><text font-size="14" font-family="Times,serif"
y="44"
x="147"
text-anchor="middle">WD</text></a>
</g>
<g id="repeatWD" stroke="black">
<path d="M128,24C123,14 129,4 147,4 158,4 165,8 167,14" fill="none"
stroke-dasharray="6 1"></path>
<polygon points="170,14 166,24 164,13"></polygon> </g>
<g class="edge" id="toCR" stroke="black" fill="black">
<path d="M185,40h31"></path>
<polygon points="211,36 221,40 211,44"></polygon> </g>
<g id="nodeCR">
<ellipse ry="18" rx="38" cy="40" cx="260" stroke="black" fill="none"></ellipse>
<a xlink:href="#RecsCR"><text font-size="14" font-family="Times,serif"
y="44"
x="260"
text-anchor="middle">CR</text></a>
</g>
<g class="edge" id="repeatCR" stroke="black" fill="black">
<path d="M242,24C238,14 244,4 260,4 271,4 277,8 279,14" stroke-dasharray="5 3"
fill="none"></path>
<polygon points="282,14 277,24 275,13"></polygon> </g>
<g id="backToWD" stroke="#666" fill="#666">
<path d="M190,47h34" stroke-dasharray="4 4"></path>
<polygon points="190,45 183,47 190,49"></polygon> </g>
<g class="edge" id="ToPR" stroke="black" fill="black">
<path d="M298,40h27"></path>
<polygon points="324,36 334,40 324,44"></polygon> </g>
<g id="nodePR">
<ellipse ry="18" rx="28" cy="40" cx="363" stroke="black" fill="none"></ellipse>
<a xlink:href="#RecsPR"><text font-size="14" font-family="Times,serif"
y="44"
x="363"
text-anchor="middle">PR</text></a>
</g>
<g id="BackToCR" stroke="#aaa" fill="#aaa">
<path d="M301,47h38" stroke-dasharray="2 5"></path>
<polygon points="301,45 296,47 301,49"></polygon> </g>
<g id="ToRec" stroke="black" fill="black">
<path d="M391,40h20"></path>
<polygon points="404,36 414,40 404,44"></polygon> </g>
<g id="nodeRec">
<ellipse ry="18" rx="28" cy="40" cx="443" stroke="black" fill="none"></ellipse>
<a xlink:href="#RecsW3C"><text font-size="14" font-family="Times,serif"
y="44"
x="443"
text-anchor="middle">REC</text></a>
</g> </svg> </p>
<p>W3C <em class="rfc2119">may</em> <a href="#tr-end">end work on a
technical report</a> at any time.</p>
<p>The Director <em class="rfc2119">may</em> decline a request to advance
in maturity level, requiring a Working Group to conduct further work,
and <em class="rfc2119">may</em> require the specification to return to
a lower <a href="#maturity-levels">maturity level</a>. The Director <em
class="rfc2119">must</em>
inform the <a href="#AC">Advisory Committee</a> and Working Group
Chairs when a Working Group's request for a specification to advance in
maturity level is declined and the specification is returned to a
Working Group for further work.</p>
<h4 id="maturity-levels">7.1.2 Maturity Levels</h4>
<dl>
<dt id="RecsWD">Working Draft (WD)</dt>
<dd>A Working Draft is a document that W3C has published for review by
the community, including W3C Members, the public, and other technical
organizations. Some, but not all, Working Drafts are meant to advance
to Recommendation; see the <a href="#DocumentStatus">document status
section</a> of a Working Draft for the group's expectations. Any
Working Draft not, or no longer, intended to advance to Recommendation
<em class="rfc2119">should</em> be published as a Working Group Note.
Working Drafts do not necessarily represent a consensus of the Working
Group, and do not imply any endorsement by W3C or its members beyond
agreement to work on a general area of technology.</dd>
<dt id="RecsCR">Candidate Recommendation (CR)</dt>
<dd class="changed">A Candidate Recommendation is a document that
satisfies the Working Group's technical requirements, and has already
received wide review. W3C publishes a Candidate Recommendation to
<ul>
<li>signal to the wider community that a final review should be done</li>
<li>gather <a href="#implementation-experience">implementation
experience</a></li>
<li>begin formal review by the Advisory Committee, who <em class="rfc2119">may</em>
recommend that the document be published as a W3C Recommendation,
returned to the Working Group for further work, or abandoned.</li>
<li>Provide an exclusion opportunity as per the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
@@ -126,12 +127,12 @@
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</dd>
</dl>
<p>Working Groups and Interest Groups <em class="rfc2119">may</em> make
available "Editor's drafts". Editor's drafts have no official standing
whatsoever, and do not necessarily imply consensus of a Working Group or
Interest Group, nor are their contents endorsed in any way by W3C.</p>
<h3 id="requirements-and-definitions">7.2 General requirements and
definitions</h3>
<p>Please note that <dfn>publishing</dfn> as used in this document refers
to producing a version which is listed as a W3C Technical Report on its
<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">Technical Reports page
http://www.w3.org/TR</a>.</p>
<h4 id="general-requirements">7.2.1 General requirements for Technical
Reports</h4>
<p>Every document published as part of the technical report development
process <em class="rfc2119 old">must</em> be a public document. The <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">index
of W3C technical reports</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-list">PUB11</a>] is
available at the W3C Web site. W3C strives to make archival documents
indefinitely available at their original address in their original form.</p>
<p>Every document published as part of the technical report development
process <em class="rfc2119 old">must</em> clearly indicate its <a href="#maturity-levels">maturity
level</a>, and <em id="DocumentStatus" class="rfc2119">must</em>
include information about the status of the document. This status
information</p>
<ul>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> be unique each time a specification is
published,</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> state which Working Group developed
the specification, </li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> state how to send comments or file
bugs, and where these are recorded, </li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> include expectations about next steps,</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">should</em> explain how the technology relates
to existing international standards and related work inside or outside
W3C, and</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">should</em> explain or link to an explanation of
significant changes from the previous version.</li>
</ul>
<p>Every Technical Report published as part of the Technical Report
development process is edited by one or more editors appointed by a
Group Chair. It is the responsibility of these editors to ensure that
the decisions of the Group are correctly reflected in subsequent drafts
of the technical report. An editor <em class="rfc2119">must</em> be a
participant, as a Member representative, Team representative, or Invited
Expert in the Group responsible for the document(s) they are editing. </p>
<p>The Team is <em class="rfc2119">not required</em> to publish a
Technical Report that does not conform to the Team's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication
- Rules</a> (e.g., for <a id="DocumentName">naming</a>, status
information, style, and <a id="document-copyright">copyright
requirements</a>). These rules are subject to change by the Team from
time to time. The Team <em class="rfc2119">must</em> inform group
Chairs and the Advisory Committee of any changes to these rules.</p>
<p>The primary language for W3C Technical Reports is English. W3C
encourages the translation of its Technical Reports. <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Translation/">Information
+ Rules</a> (e.g., for <span id="DocumentName">naming</span>, status
information, style, and <span id="document-copyright">copyright
requirements</span>). These rules are subject to change by the Team
from time to time. The Team <em class="rfc2119">must</em> inform group
Chairs and the Advisory Committee of any changes to these rules.</p>
<p>The primary language for W3C Technical Reports is English. W3C
encourages the translation of its Technical Reports. <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Translation/">Information
about translations of W3C technical reports</a> [<a href="#ref-translations">PUB18</a>]
is available at the W3C Web site.</p>
<h4 id="transition-reqs">7.2.2 Advancement on the Recommendation Track</h4>
<p>For <em>all</em> requests to advance a specification to a new maturity
level other than Note the Working Group:</p>
<ul>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> record the group's decision to request
advancement.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must </em> obtain Director approval.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119 ">must</em> provide public documentation of all <a
href="#substantive-change">substantive
changes</a> to the technical report since the previous publication.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> <a href="#formal-address">formally
address</a> all issues raised about the document since the previous
maturity level.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">must</em> provide public documentation of any <a
href="#FormalObjection">Formal
Objections</a>.</li>
<li><span class="rfc2119">should</span> provide public documentation of
changes that are not substantive.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">should</em> report which, if any, of the Working
Group's requirements for this document have changed since the previous
step.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">should</em> report any changes in dependencies
with other groups.</li>
<li><em class="rfc2119">should</em> provide information about
implementations known to the Working Group.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a First Public Working Draft there is no "previous maturity level",
so many requirements do not apply, and approval is normally fairly
automatic. For later stages, especially transition to Candidate or
Proposed Recommendation, there is generally a formal review meeting to
ensure the requirements have been met before Director's approval is
given.</p>
<h4 id="doc-reviews">7.2.3 Reviews and Review Responsibilities</h4>
<p>A document is available for review from the moment it is first
published. Working Groups <em class="rfc2119">should</em> <a href="#formal-address">formally
address</a> <em>any</em> substantive review comment about a technical
report in a timely manner. </p>
Reviewers <em class="rfc2119">should</em> send substantive technical
reviews as early as possible. Working Groups are often reluctant to make <a
href="#substantive-change">substantive
- changes</a> to a mature document, particularly if this would cause
significant compatibility problems due to existing implementation. Working
Groups <em class="rfc2119">should</em> record substantive or interesting
proposals raised by reviews but not incorporated into a current
specification.
<h5>7.2.3.1 <a id="wide-review">Wide Review</a></h5>
<p>The requirements for <dfn>wide review</dfn> are not precisely defined
by the W3C Process. The objective is to ensure that the entire set of
stakeholders of the Web community, including the general public, have
had adequate notice of the progress of the Working Group (for example
through notices posted to <a href="mailto:public-review-announce@w3.org">public-review-announce@w3.org</a>)
and thereby an opportunity to comment on the specification. Before
approving transitions, the Director will consider who has been
explicitly offered a reasonable opportunity to review the document, who
has provided comments, the record of requests to and responses from
reviewers, especially groups identified as dependencies in the charter,
and seek evidence of clear communication to the general public about
appropriate times and which content to review. </p>
<p>For example, inviting review of new or significantly revised sections
published in Working Drafts, and tracking those comments and the Working
Group's responses, is generally a good practice which would often be
considered positive evidence of wide review. Working Groups <span class="rfc2119">should</span>
announce to other W3C Working Groups as well as the general public,
especially those affected by this specification, a proposal to enter
Candidate Recommendation (for example in approximately four weeks). By
contrast a generic statement in a document requesting review at any time
is likely not to be considered as sufficient evidence that the group has
solicited wide review. </p>
<p>A Working Group could present evidence that wide review has been
received, irrespective of solicitation. But it is important to note that
receiving many detailed reviews is not necessarily the same as wide
review, since they may only represent comment from a small segment of
the relevant stakeholder community.</p>
<h4 id="implementation-experience">7.2.4 Implementation Experience</h4>
<p>Implementation experience is required to show that a specification is
sufficiently clear, complete, and relevant to market needs, to ensure
that independent interoperable implementations of each feature of the
specification will be realized. While no exhaustive list of requirements
is provided here, when assessing that there is <dfn>adequate
implementation experience</dfn> the Director will consider (though not
be limited to):</p>
<ul>
<li>is each feature of the current specification implemented, and how is
this demonstrated?</li>
<li>are there independent interoperable implementations of the current
specification?</li>
<li>are there implementations created by people other than the authors
of the specification?</li>
<li>are implementations publicly deployed?</li>
<li>is there implementation experience at all levels of the
specification's ecosystem (authoring, consuming, publishing…)?</li>
<li>are there reports of difficulties or problems with implementation?</li>
</ul>
<p>Planning and accomplishing a demonstration of (interoperable)
implementations can be very time consuming. Groups are often able to
work more effectively if they plan how they will demonstrate
interoperable implementations early in the development process; for
example, they may wish to develop tests in concert with implementation
efforts.</p>
<h4 id="correction-classes">7.2.5 Classes of Changes</h4>
<p>This document distinguishes the following 4 classes of changes to a
specification. The first two classes of change are considered <dfn id="editorial-change">editorial
+ changes</a> to a mature document, particularly if this would cause
significant compatibility problems due to existing implementation. Working
Groups <em class="rfc2119">should</em> record substantive or interesting
proposals raised by reviews but not incorporated into a current
specification.
<h5 id="wide-review">7.2.3.1 Wide Review</h5>
<p>The requirements for wide review are not precisely defined by the W3C
Process. The objective is to ensure that the entire set of stakeholders
of the Web community, including the general public, have had adequate
notice of the progress of the Working Group (for example through notices
posted to <a href="mailto:public-review-announce@w3.org">public-review-announce@w3.org</a>)
and thereby an opportunity to comment on the specification. Before
approving transitions, the Director will consider who has been
explicitly offered a reasonable opportunity to review the document, who
has provided comments, the record of requests to and responses from
reviewers, especially groups identified as dependencies in the charter,
and seek evidence of clear communication to the general public about
appropriate times and which content to review. </p>
<p>For example, inviting review of new or significantly revised sections
published in Working Drafts, and tracking those comments and the Working
Group's responses, is generally a good practice which would often be
considered positive evidence of wide review. Working Groups <span class="rfc2119">should</span>
announce to other W3C Working Groups as well as the general public,
especially those affected by this specification, a proposal to enter
Candidate Recommendation (for example in approximately four weeks). By
contrast a generic statement in a document requesting review at any time
is likely not to be considered as sufficient evidence that the group has
solicited wide review. </p>
<p>A Working Group could present evidence that wide review has been
received, irrespective of solicitation. But it is important to note that
receiving many detailed reviews is not necessarily the same as wide
review, since they may only represent comment from a small segment of
the relevant stakeholder community.</p>
<h4 id="implementation-experience">7.2.4 Implementation Experience</h4>
<p>Implementation experience is required to show that a specification is
sufficiently clear, complete, and relevant to market needs, to ensure
that independent interoperable implementations of each feature of the
specification will be realized. While no exhaustive list of requirements
is provided here, when assessing that there is <dfn>adequate
implementation experience</dfn> the Director will consider (though not
be limited to):</p>
<ul>
<li>is each feature of the current specification implemented, and how is
this demonstrated?</li>
<li>are there independent interoperable implementations of the current
specification?</li>
<li>are there implementations created by people other than the authors
of the specification?</li>
<li>are implementations publicly deployed?</li>
<li>is there implementation experience at all levels of the
specification's ecosystem (authoring, consuming, publishing…)?</li>
<li>are there reports of difficulties or problems with implementation?</li>
</ul>
<p>Planning and accomplishing a demonstration of (interoperable)
implementations can be very time consuming. Groups are often able to
work more effectively if they plan how they will demonstrate
interoperable implementations early in the development process; for
example, they may wish to develop tests in concert with implementation
efforts.</p>
<h4 id="correction-classes">7.2.5 Classes of Changes</h4>
<p>This document distinguishes the following 4 classes of changes to a
specification. The first two classes of change are considered <dfn id="editorial-change">editorial
changes</dfn>, the latter two <dfn id="substantive-change">substantive
changes</dfn>.</p>
<dl>
<dt>1. No changes to text content</dt>
<dd>These changes include fixing broken links, style sheets or invalid
markup.</dd>
<dt>2. Corrections that do not affect conformance</dt>
<dd>Editorial changes or clarifications that do not change the technical
content of the specification.</dd>
<dt>3. Corrections that do not add new features</dt>
<dd>These changes <span class="rfc2119">may</span> affect conformance
to the specification. A change that affects conformance is one that:
<ul>
<li>makes conforming data, processors, or other conforming agents
become non-conforming according to the new version, or</li>
<li>makes non-conforming data, processors, or other agents become
conforming, or</li>
<li>clears up an ambiguity or under-specified part of the
specification in such a way that data, a processor, or an agent
whose conformance was once unclear becomes clearly either
conforming or non-conforming.</li>
</ul>
</dd>
<dt>4. New features</dt>
<dd>Changes that add a new functionality, element, etc.</dd>
</dl>
<h3 id="working-draft">7.3 Working Draft</h3>
<p>A Public Working Draft is published on the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C's
Technical Reports page</a> [TR] for review, and for simple historical
reference. For all Public Working Drafts a Working Group</p>
<ul>
<li> <em class="rfc2119">should</em> document outstanding issues, and
parts of the document on which the Working Group does not have
consensus, and</li>
<li> <em class="rfc2119">may</em> request publication of a Working
Draft even if its content is considered unstable and does not meet all
Working Group requirements.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="first-wd">7.3.1 First Public Working Draft</h4>
<p>To publish the First Public Working Draft of a document, a Working
Group must meet the applicable <a href="#transition-reqs">general
requirements for advancement</a>.</p>
<p>The Director <em class="rfc2119">must</em> announce the publication of
a First Public Working Draft publication to other W3C groups and to the
public. </p>
<p>Publishing the First Public Working Draft triggers a Call for
Exclusions, per <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/#sec-Exclusion">section
@@ -162,54 +163,56 @@
Committee</a>. The announcement <em class="rfc2119">must</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li>indicate that this is a Proposal to Rescind a Recommendation</li>
<li>specify the deadline for review comments, which <em class="rfc2119">must</em>
be at least <span class="time-interval">four weeks after announcing</span>
the proposal to rescind.</li>
<li>identify known dependencies and solicit review from all dependent
Working Groups;</li>
<li>solicit public review.</li>
</ul>
<p>If there was any <a href="#def-Dissent" rel="glossary" title="Definition of Dissent"><span
class="dfn-instance">dissent</span></a>
in Advisory Committee reviews, the Director <em class="rfc2119">must</em>
publish the substantive content of the dissent to W3C <strong>and the
public</strong>, and <em class="rfc2119">must</em> <a href="#formal-address">formally
address</a> the comment at least 14 days before publication as a
Rescinded Recommendation. In this case the <a href="#AC">Advisory
Committee</a> <em class="rfc2119">may</em> <a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>
the decision.</p>
<p> A Rescinded Recommendation <em class="rfc2119">must</em> be published
with up to date status. The updated version <em class="rfc2119">may</em>
remove the rescinded content (i.e. the main body of the document).</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note:</span> the original
Recommendation document will continue to be available at its
version-specific URL.</p>
<h3 id="further-reading">Further reading</h3>
<p>Refer to <a href="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/Transitions">"How to
Organize a Recommendation Track Transition"</a> in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">Member
guide</a> for practical information about preparing for the reviews
and announcements of the various steps, and <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/05/rec-tips">tips
- on getting to Recommendation faster</a> [<a href="#ref-rec-tips">PUB27</a>].</p>
<h2>8 <a id="ReviewAppeal">Advisory Committee Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</a></h2>
<p>This section describes how the Advisory Committee reviews proposals
from the Director and how Advisory Committee representatives appeal W3C
decisions and decisions by the Director. A <a id="def-w3c-decision">W3C
decision</a> is one where the Director (or the Director's delegate)
has exercised the role of assessing consensus after an <a href="#ACReview">Advisory
+ on getting to Recommendation faster</a> [<a href="#ref-rec-tips">PUB27</a>].</p>
<h2 id="ReviewAppeal">8 Advisory Committee Reviews, Appeals, and Votes</h2>
<p>This section describes how the Advisory Committee reviews proposals
from the Director and how Advisory Committee representatives appeal W3C
decisions and decisions by the Director. A <dfn id="def-w3c-decision">W3C
+ decision</dfn> is one where the Director (or the Director's delegate)
has exercised the role of assessing consensus after an <a href="#ACReview">Advisory
Committee review</a> of an <a href="#CharterReview">Charter Proposal</a>,
after a <a href="#cfr">Call for Review of a Proposed Recommendation</a>,
after a <a href="#cfr-edited">Call for Review of a Proposed
Recommendation</a>, after a <a href="#proposed-rescinded-rec">Proposal
to Rescind a W3C Recommendation</a>, and after a <a href="#GAProcess">Proposed
Process
- Document</a> review.</p>
<h3>8.1 <a id="ACReview">Advisory Committee Reviews</a></h3>
<p>The Advisory Committee reviews:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#CharterReview">new and modified Working and Interest
Groups</a>,</li>
<li><a href="#cfr">Proposed Recommendations</a>, <a href="#cfr-edited">Proposed
+ Document</a> review.</p>
<h3 id="ACReview">8.1 Advisory Committee Reviews</h3>
<p>The Advisory Committee reviews:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#CharterReview">new and modified Working and Interest
Groups</a>,</li>
<li><a href="#cfr">Proposed Recommendations</a>, <a href="#cfr-edited">Proposed
Edited Recommendations</a>, <a href="#proposed-rescinded-rec">Proposal
- to Rescind a Recommendation</a>, and</li>
<li><a href="#GAProcess">Proposed changes to the W3C process</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h4>8.1.1 <a id="ACReviewStart">Start of a Review Period</a></h4>
<p>Each Advisory Committee review period begins with a Call for Review
from the Team to the Advisory Committee. The <a id="reviewform">review
form</a> describes the proposal, raises attention to deadlines,
estimates when the decision will be available, and includes other
practical information. Each Member organization <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
send one review, which <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be returned by
its Advisory Committee representative.</p>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide two channels for
Advisory Committee review comments:</p>
<ol>
<li>an archived <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a> channel; this is the
default channel for reviews.</li>
<li>an archived <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> channel.</li>
</ol>
<p>Reviewers <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> send information to either
or both channels. They <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also share
their reviews with other Members on the <a href="#ACCommunication">Advisory
- Committee discussion list</a>.</p>
<p>A Member organization <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> modify its
review during a review period (e.g., in light of comments from other
Members).</p>
<h4>8.1.2 <a id="ACReviewAfter">After the Review Period</a></h4>
<p>After the review period, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
announce to the Advisory Committee the level of support for the proposal
(<a href="#def-Consensus">consensus</a> or <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>).
+ to Rescind a Recommendation</a>, and</li>
<li><a href="#GAProcess">Proposed changes to the W3C process</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="ACReviewStart">8.1.1 Start of a Review Period</h4>
<p>Each Advisory Committee review period begins with a Call for Review
from the Team to the Advisory Committee. The <dfn id="reviewform">review
+ form</dfn> describes the proposal, raises attention to deadlines,
estimates when the decision will be available, and includes other
practical information. Each Member organization <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
send one review, which <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be returned by
its Advisory Committee representative.</p>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide two channels for
Advisory Committee review comments:</p>
<ol>
<li>an archived <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a> channel; this is the
default channel for reviews.</li>
<li>an archived <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> channel.</li>
</ol>
<p>Reviewers <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> send information to either
or both channels. They <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also share
their reviews with other Members on the <a href="#ACCommunication">Advisory
+ Committee discussion list</a>.</p>
<p>A Member organization <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> modify its
review during a review period (e.g., in light of comments from other
Members).</p>
<h4 id="ACReviewAfter">8.1.2 After the Review Period</h4>
<p>After the review period, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
announce to the Advisory Committee the level of support for the proposal
(<a href="#def-Consensus">consensus</a> or <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>).
The Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> also indicate whether
there were any Formal Objections, with attention to <a href="#confidentiality-change">changing
confidentiality level</a>. This <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C
decision</a> is generally one of the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>The proposal is approved, possibly with minor changes integrated.</li>
<li>The proposal is approved, possibly with <a href="#substantive-change">substantive
changes</a> integrated. In this case the Director's announcement <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include rationale for the decision to advance the document despite the
proposal for a substantive change.</li>
<li>The proposal is returned for additional work, with a request to the
initiator to <a href="#formal-address">formally address</a> certain
issues.</li>
<li>The proposal is rejected.</li>
</ol>
<p>This document does not specify time intervals between the end of an
Advisory Committee review period and the <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C
decision</a>. This is to ensure that the Members and Team have
sufficient time to consider comments gathered during the review. The
Advisory Committee <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> expect an
announcement sooner than <span class="time-interval">two weeks</span>
after the end of a Proposed Recommendation review period. If, after <span
class="time-interval">three
- weeks</span>, the Director has not announced the outcome, the Director
<span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> provide the Advisory Committee with
an update.</p>
<h3>8.2 <a id="ACAppeal">Appeal by Advisory Committee Representatives</a></h3>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal certain decisions, though appeals are only expected to occur in
extraordinary circumstances.</p>
<p>When Advisory Committee review immediately precedes a decision,
Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
only appeal when there is <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>. These
decisions are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#rec-publication">Publication of a Recommendation</a> or <a
href="#proposed-rescinded-rec">Publication
+ weeks</span>, the Director has not announced the outcome, the Director
<span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> provide the Advisory Committee with
an update.</p>
<h3 id="ACAppeal">8.2Appeal by Advisory Committee Representatives</h3>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal certain decisions, though appeals are only expected to occur in
extraordinary circumstances.</p>
<p>When Advisory Committee review immediately precedes a decision,
Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
only appeal when there is <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>. These
decisions are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#rec-publication">Publication of a Recommendation</a> or <a
href="#proposed-rescinded-rec">Publication
of a Rescinded Recommendation</a>,</li>
<li><a href="#cfp">Working or Interest Group creation</a>, substantive <a
href="#CharterReview">modification</a>
or <a href="#charter-extension">extension</a>,</li>
<li>Changes to the <a href="#GAProcess">W3C process</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
always appeal the following decisions:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#charter-extension">Working or Interest Group extension</a>
or <a href="#GeneralTermination">closure</a>,</li>
<li><a href="#candidate-rec">Call for Implementations</a>, <a href="#cfr">Call
for Review of a Proposed Recommendation</a>, <a href="#cfr-edited">Call
for Review of an Edited Recommendation</a>, or <a href="#proposed-rescinded-rec">Proposal
to Rescind a Recommendation</a></li>
<li>the Director's intention to sign a <a href="#mou">Memorandum of
Understanding</a> with another organization.</li>
</ul>
<p>In all cases, an appeal <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be initiated
within <span class="time-interval">three weeks</span> of the decision.</p>
<p>An Advisory Committee representative initiates an appeal by sending a
request to the Team (explained in detail in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New
- Member Orientation</a>). The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
announce the appeal process to the Advisory Committee and provide an
address for comments from Advisory Committee representatives. The
archive of these comments <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
Member-visible. If, within <span class="time-interval">one week</span>
of the Team's announcement, 5% or more of the Advisory Committee support
the appeal request, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> organize
an appeal vote asking the Advisory Committee to approve or reject the
decision.
<!-- Voting procedure to be determined --></p>
<h3>8.3 <a id="ACVotes">Advisory Committee Votes</a></h3>
<p>The Advisory Committee votes in <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">elections
for seats on the TAG or Advisory Board</a>, and in the event of a
formal appeal of a <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C decision</a>.
Whenever the Advisory Committee votes, each Member or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related
+ Member Orientation</a>). The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
announce the appeal process to the Advisory Committee and provide an
address for comments from Advisory Committee representatives. The
archive of these comments <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
Member-visible. If, within <span class="time-interval">one week</span>
of the Team's announcement, 5% or more of the Advisory Committee support
the appeal request, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> organize
an appeal vote asking the Advisory Committee to approve or reject the
decision.
<!-- Voting procedure to be determined --></p>
<h3 id="ACVotes">8.3Advisory Committee Votes</h3>
<p>The Advisory Committee votes in <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">elections
for seats on the TAG or Advisory Board</a>, and in the event of a
formal appeal of a <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C decision</a>.
Whenever the Advisory Committee votes, each Member or group of <a href="#MemberRelated">related
Members</a> has one vote. In the case of <a href="#AB-TAG-elections">Advisory
- Board and TAG elections</a>, "one vote" means "one vote per available
seat".</p>
<h2>9 <a id="GAEvents">Workshops and Symposia</a></h2>
<p>The Team organizes <a id="EventsW">Workshops</a> and <a id="EventsS">Symposia</a>
to promote early involvement in the development of W3C activities from
Members and the public.</p>
<p>The goal of a Workshop is usually either to convene experts and other
interested parties for an exchange of ideas about a technology or
policy, or to address the pressing concerns of W3C Members. Organizers
of the first type of Workshop <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> solicit
position papers for the Workshop program and <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
use those papers to choose attendees and/or presenters.</p>
<p>The goal of a Symposium is usually to educate interested parties about
a particular subject.</p>
<p>The Call for Participation in a Workshop or Symposium <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
indicate participation requirements or limits, and expected deliverables
(e.g., reports and minutes). Organization of an event does not guarantee
further investment by W3C in a particular topic, but <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
lead to proposals for new activities or groups.</p>
<p>Workshops and Symposia generally last one to three days. If a Workshop
is being organized to address the pressing concerns of Members, the Team
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue the Call for Participation no
later than <span class="time-interval">six weeks</span> prior to the
Workshop's scheduled start date. For other Workshops and Symposia, the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue a Call for Participation
no later than <span class="time-interval">eight weeks</span> prior to
the meeting's scheduled start date. This helps ensure that speakers and
authors have adequate time to prepare position papers and talks.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> In general, W3C does not organize <a id="EventsC">conferences</a>.
Currently, W3C presents its work to the public at the annual World Wide
Web Conference, which is coordinated by the <a href="http://www.iw3c2.org/">International
- World Wide Web Conference Committee</a> (<abbr>IW3C2</abbr>).</p>
<h2>10 <a id="Liaisons">Liaisons</a></h2>
<p>W3C uses the term "liaison" to refer to coordination of activities with
a variety of organizations, through a number of mechanisms ranging from
very informal (e.g., an individual from another organization
participates in a W3C Working Group, or just follows its work) to mutual
membership, to even more formal agreements. Liaisons are not meant to
substitute for W3C membership.</p>
<p>All liaisons <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be coordinated by the
Team due to requirements for public communication; patent, copyright,
and other IPR policies; confidentiality agreements; and mutual
membership agreements.</p>
<p>The W3C Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> negotiate and sign a
<a id="mou">Memorandum of Understanding (<abbr>MoU</abbr>)</a> with
another organization. Before signing the MoU, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Advisory Committee of the intent to sign and make the MoU
available for Advisory Committee review; the Advisory Committee <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>. Once approved, a Memorandum of
Understanding <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be made public.</p>
<p>Information about <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/11/StdLiaison">W3C
liaisons with other organizations</a> and the guidelines W3C follows
when creating a liaison [<a href="#ref-liaison-list">PUB28</a>] is
available on the Web.</p>
<h2>11 <a id="Submission">Member Submission Process</a></h2>
<p>The Member Submission process allows Members to propose technology or
other ideas for consideration by the Team. After review, the Team <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
publish the material at the W3C Web site. The formal process affords
Members a record of their contribution and gives them a mechanism for
disclosing the details of the transaction with the Team (including IPR
claims). The Team also publishes review comments on the Submitted
materials for W3C Members, the public, and the media.</p>
<p>A <a id="MemberSubmission">Member Submission</a> consists of:</p>
<ul>
<li>One or more documents developed outside of the W3C process, and</li>
<li>Information about the documents, provided by the Submitter.</li>
</ul>
<p>One or more Members (called the "Submitter(s)") <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
participate in a Member Submission. Only W3C Members <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
be listed as Submitter(s).</p>
<p>The Submission process consists of the following steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>One of the Submitter(s) sends a request to the Team to acknowledge
the Submission request. The Team and Submitter(s) communicate to
ensure that the Member Submission is complete.</li>
<li>After Team review, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
either acknowledge or reject the Submission request.
<ul>
<li>If <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledged</a>, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
publish the Member Submission at the public W3C Web site, in
addition to Team comments about the Member Submission.</li>
<li>If <a href="#SubmissionNo">rejected</a>, the Submitter(s) <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal to either the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a> or the <a href="#AB">Advisory
+ Board and TAG elections</a>, "one vote" means "one vote per available
seat".</p>
<h2 id="GAEvents">9 Workshops and Symposia</h2>
<p>The Team organizes <dfn id="EventsW">Workshops</dfn> and <dfn id="EventsS">Symposia</dfn>
to promote early involvement in the development of W3C activities from
Members and the public.</p>
<p>The goal of a Workshop is usually either to convene experts and other
interested parties for an exchange of ideas about a technology or
policy, or to address the pressing concerns of W3C Members. Organizers
of the first type of Workshop <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> solicit
position papers for the Workshop program and <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
use those papers to choose attendees and/or presenters.</p>
<p>The goal of a Symposium is usually to educate interested parties about
a particular subject.</p>
<p>The Call for Participation in a Workshop or Symposium <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
indicate participation requirements or limits, and expected deliverables
(e.g., reports and minutes). Organization of an event does not guarantee
further investment by W3C in a particular topic, but <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
lead to proposals for new activities or groups.</p>
<p>Workshops and Symposia generally last one to three days. If a Workshop
is being organized to address the pressing concerns of Members, the Team
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue the Call for Participation no
later than <span class="time-interval">six weeks</span> prior to the
Workshop's scheduled start date. For other Workshops and Symposia, the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue a Call for Participation
no later than <span class="time-interval">eight weeks</span> prior to
the meeting's scheduled start date. This helps ensure that speakers and
authors have adequate time to prepare position papers and talks.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> In general, W3C does not organize <dfn id="EventsC">conferences</dfn>.
Currently, W3C presents its work to the public at the annual World Wide
Web Conference, which is coordinated by the <a href="http://www.iw3c2.org/">International
+ World Wide Web Conference Committee</a> (<abbr>IW3C2</abbr>).</p>
<h2 id="Liaisons">10 Liaisons</h2>
<p>W3C uses the term "liaison" to refer to coordination of activities with
a variety of organizations, through a number of mechanisms ranging from
very informal (e.g., an individual from another organization
participates in a W3C Working Group, or just follows its work) to mutual
membership, to even more formal agreements. Liaisons are not meant to
substitute for W3C membership.</p>
<p>All liaisons <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be coordinated by the
Team due to requirements for public communication; patent, copyright,
and other IPR policies; confidentiality agreements; and mutual
membership agreements.</p>
<p>The W3C Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> negotiate and sign a
<dfn id="mou">Memorandum of Understanding (<abbr>MoU</abbr>)</dfn> with
another organization. Before signing the MoU, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Advisory Committee of the intent to sign and make the MoU
available for Advisory Committee review; the Advisory Committee <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
<a href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>. Once approved, a Memorandum of
Understanding <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> be made public.</p>
<p>Information about <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/11/StdLiaison">W3C
liaisons with other organizations</a> and the guidelines W3C follows
when creating a liaison [<a href="#ref-liaison-list">PUB28</a>] is
available on the Web.</p>
<h2 id="Submission">11 Member Submission Process</h2>
<p>The Member Submission process allows Members to propose technology or
other ideas for consideration by the Team. After review, the Team <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
publish the material at the W3C Web site. The formal process affords
Members a record of their contribution and gives them a mechanism for
disclosing the details of the transaction with the Team (including IPR
claims). The Team also publishes review comments on the Submitted
materials for W3C Members, the public, and the media.</p>
<p>A <dfn id="MemberSubmission">Member Submission</dfn> consists of:</p>
<ul>
<li>One or more documents developed outside of the W3C process, and</li>
<li>Information about the documents, provided by the Submitter.</li>
</ul>
<p>One or more Members (called the "Submitter(s)") <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
participate in a Member Submission. Only W3C Members <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
be listed as Submitter(s).</p>
<p>The Submission process consists of the following steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>One of the Submitter(s) sends a request to the Team to acknowledge
the Submission request. The Team and Submitter(s) communicate to
ensure that the Member Submission is complete.</li>
<li>After Team review, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
either acknowledge or reject the Submission request.
<ul>
<li>If <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledged</a>, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
publish the Member Submission at the public W3C Web site, in
addition to Team comments about the Member Submission.</li>
<li>If <a href="#SubmissionNo">rejected</a>, the Submitter(s) <span
class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal to either the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a> or the <a href="#AB">Advisory
Board</a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> To avoid confusion about the Member Submission
process, please note that:</p>
<ul>
<li>Documents in a Member Submission are developed outside of W3C. These
documents are <strong>not</strong> part of the <a href="#Reports">technical
report development process</a> (and therefore are not included in
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">index of W3C technical reports</a>).
Members wishing to have documents developed outside of W3C published
by W3C <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> follow the Member Submission
process.</li>
<li>The Submission process is <strong>not</strong> a means by which
Members ask for "ratification" of these documents as <a href="#RecsW3C">W3C
Recommendations</a>.</li>
<li>There is no requirement or guarantee that technology which is part
of an acknowledged Submission request will receive further
consideration by W3C (e.g., by a W3C Working Group).</li>
</ul>
<p>Publication of a Member Submission by W3C does not imply endorsement by
W3C, including the W3C Team or Members. The acknowledgment of a
Submission request does not imply that any action will be taken by W3C.
It merely records publicly that the Submission request has been made by
the Submitter. A Member Submission published by W3C <span class="rfc2119">MUST
- NOT</span> be referred to as "work in progress" of the W3C.</p>
<p>The list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/">acknowledged
Member Submissions</a> [<a href="#ref-submission-list">PUB10</a>] is
available at the W3C Web site.</p>
<h3>11.1 <a id="SubmissionRights">Submitter Rights and Obligations</a></h3>
<p>When more than one Member jointly participates in a Submission request,
only one Member formally sends in the request. That Member <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
copy each of the Advisory Committee representatives of the other
participating Members, and each of those Advisory Committee
representatives <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> confirm (by email to
the Team) their participation in the Submission request.</p>
<p>At any time prior to acknowledgment, any Submitter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
withdraw support for a Submission request (described in "<a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How
+ NOT</span> be referred to as "work in progress" of the W3C.</p>
<p>The list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/">acknowledged
Member Submissions</a> [<a href="#ref-submission-list">PUB10</a>] is
available at the W3C Web site.</p>
<h3 id="SubmissionRights">11.1 Submitter Rights and Obligations</h3>
<p>When more than one Member jointly participates in a Submission request,
only one Member formally sends in the request. That Member <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
copy each of the Advisory Committee representatives of the other
participating Members, and each of those Advisory Committee
representatives <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> confirm (by email to
the Team) their participation in the Submission request.</p>
<p>At any time prior to acknowledgment, any Submitter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
withdraw support for a Submission request (described in "<a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How
to send a Submission request</a>"). A Submission request is
"withdrawn" when no Submitter(s) support it. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST
- NOT</span> make statements about withdrawn Submission requests.</p>
<p>Prior to acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST
NOT</span>, <strong>under any circumstances</strong>, refer to a
document as "submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium" or "under
consideration by W3C" or any similar phrase either in public or Member
communication. The Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
imply in public or Member communication that W3C is working (with the
Submitter(s)) on the material in the Member Submission. The Submitter(s)
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> publish the documents in the Member
Submission prior to acknowledgment (without reference to the Submission
request).</p>
<p>After acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>,
<strong>under any circumstances</strong>, imply W3C investment in the
Member Submission until, and unless, the material has been adopted as a
deliverable of a W3C Working Group</p>
<h4>11.1.1 <a id="SubmissionScope">Scope of Member Submissions</a></h4>
<p>When a technology overlaps in scope with the work of a chartered
Working Group, Members <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> <a href="#group-participation">participate
+ NOT</span> make statements about withdrawn Submission requests.</p>
<p>Prior to acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST
NOT</span>, <strong>under any circumstances</strong>, refer to a
document as "submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium" or "under
consideration by W3C" or any similar phrase either in public or Member
communication. The Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
imply in public or Member communication that W3C is working (with the
Submitter(s)) on the material in the Member Submission. The Submitter(s)
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> publish the documents in the Member
Submission prior to acknowledgment (without reference to the Submission
request).</p>
<p>After acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>,
<strong>under any circumstances</strong>, imply W3C investment in the
Member Submission until, and unless, the material has been adopted as a
deliverable of a W3C Working Group</p>
<h4 id="SubmissionScope">11.1.1 Scope of Member Submissions</h4>
<p>When a technology overlaps in scope with the work of a chartered
Working Group, Members <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> <a href="#group-participation">participate
in the Working Group</a> and contribute the technology to the group's
process rather than seek publication through the Member Submission
process. The Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> incorporate
the contributed technology into its deliverables. If the Working Group
does not incorporate the technology, it <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD
NOT</span> publish the contributed documents as Working Group Notes
since Working Group Notes represent group output, not input to the
group.</p>
<p>On the other hand, while W3C is in the early stages of developing a
charter, Members <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> use the Submission
process to build consensus around concrete proposals for new work.</p>
<p>Members <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> submit materials
covering topics well outside the scope of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/mission">W3C's
- mission</a> [<a href="#ref-mission">PUB15</a>].</p>
<h4>11.1.2 <a id="SubmissionReqs">Information Required in a Submission
Request</a></h4>
<p>The Submitter(s) and any other authors of the submitted material <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
agree that, if the request is acknowledged, the documents in the Member
Submission will be subject to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
+ mission</a> [<a href="#ref-mission">PUB15</a>].</p>
<h4 id="SubmissionReqs">11.1.2Information Required in a Submission Request</h4>
<p>The Submitter(s) and any other authors of the submitted material <span
class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
agree that, if the request is acknowledged, the documents in the Member
Submission will be subject to the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
Document License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>] and will
include a reference to it. The Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
hold the copyright for the documents in a Member Submission.</p>
<p>The request must satisfy the Member Submission licensing commitments of
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-submissions">section
3.3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C
Patent Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p>The Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include the
following information:</p>
<ul>
<li>The list of all submitting Members.</li>
<li>Position statements from all submitting Members (gathered by the
Submitter). All position statements must appear in a separate
document.</li>
<li>Complete electronic copies of any documents submitted for
consideration (e.g., a technical specification, a position paper,
etc.) If the Submission request is acknowledged, these documents will
be published by W3C and therefore must satisfy the Communication
Team's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication Rules</a>
[<a href="#ref-pubrules">PUB31</a>]. Submitters may hold the copyright
for the material contained in these documents, but when published by
W3C, these documents <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be subject to
the provisions of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
- Document License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>].</li>
</ul>
<p>The request <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> also answer the
following questions.</p>
<ul>
<li>What proprietary technology is required to implement the areas
addressed by the request, and what terms are associated with its use?
Again, many answers are possible, but the specific answer will affect
the Team's decision.</li>
<li>What resources, if any, does the Submitter intend to make available
if the W3C acknowledges the Submission request and takes action on it?</li>
<li>What action would the Submitter like W3C to take if the Submission
request is acknowledged?</li>
<li>What mechanisms are there to make changes to the specification being
submitted? This includes, but is not limited to, stating where change
control will reside if the request is acknowledged.</li>
</ul>
<p>For other administrative requirements related to Submission requests,
see "<a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How to send a
Submission request</a>" [<a href="#ref-member-sub">MEM8</a>].</p>
<h3>11.2 <a id="TeamSubmissionRights">Team Rights and Obligations</a></h3>
<p>Although they are not technical reports, the documents in a Member
Submission <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> fulfill the requirements
established by the Team, including the Team's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication
- Rules</a>.</p>
<p>The Team sends a <a id="validation-notice">validation notice</a> to
the Submitter(s) once the Team has reviewed a Submission request and
judged it complete and correct.</p>
<p>Prior to a decision to <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledge</a> or <a
href="#SubmissionNo">reject</a>
the request, the request is <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a>, and the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> hold it in the strictest
confidentiality. In particular, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
comment to the media about the Submission request.</p>
<h3>11.3 <a id="SubmissionYes">Acknowledgment of a Submission Request</a></h3>
<p>The Director <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledges</a> a Submission
request by sending an announcement to the Advisory Committee. Though the
announcement <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be made at any time, the
Submitter(s) can expect an announcement between <span class="time-interval">four
- to six weeks</span> after the <a href="#validation-notice">validation
notice</a>. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> keep the
Submitter(s) informed of when an announcement is likely to be made.</p>
<p>Once a Submission request has been acknowledged, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Publish the Member Submission.</li>
<li>Publish Team comments about the Submission request.</li>
</ul>
<p>If the Submitter(s) wishes to modify a document published as the result
of acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
start the Submission process from the beginning, even just to correct
editorial changes.</p>
<h3>11.4 <a id="SubmissionNo">Rejection of a Submission Request</a></h3>
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> reject a Submission
request for a variety of reasons, including any of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request overlap in scope with the work of
a chartered Working Group, and acknowledgment might jeopardize the
progress of the group.</li>
<li>The IPR statement made by the Submitter(s) is inconsistent with the
W3C's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">Patent
Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">Document
- License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>], or other IPR
policies.</li>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request are poor, might harm the Web, or
run counter to <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/mission">W3C's
mission</a>.</li>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request lie well outside the scope of
W3C's mission.</li>
</ul>
<p>In case of a rejection, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Advisory Committee representative(s) of the Submitter(s). If
requested by the Submitter(s), the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
provide rationale to the Submitter(s) about the rejection. Other than to
the Submitter(s), the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> make
statements about why a Submission request was rejected.</p>
<p>The Advisory Committee representative(s) of the Submitters(s) <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal the rejection to the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a> if the reasons are
related to Web architecture, or to the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>
if the request is rejected for other reasons. In this case the Team <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
make available its rationale for the rejection to the appropriate body.
The Team will establish a process for such appeals that ensures the
appropriate <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>.</p>
<h2>12 <a id="GAProcess">Process Evolution</a></h2>
<p>The <a id="ProcessDoc">W3C Process Document</a> undergoes similar
consensus-building processes as technical reports, with the <a href="#AB">Advisory
+ Document License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>].</li>
</ul>
<p>The request <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> also answer the
following questions.</p>
<ul>
<li>What proprietary technology is required to implement the areas
addressed by the request, and what terms are associated with its use?
Again, many answers are possible, but the specific answer will affect
the Team's decision.</li>
<li>What resources, if any, does the Submitter intend to make available
if the W3C acknowledges the Submission request and takes action on it?</li>
<li>What action would the Submitter like W3C to take if the Submission
request is acknowledged?</li>
<li>What mechanisms are there to make changes to the specification being
submitted? This includes, but is not limited to, stating where change
control will reside if the request is acknowledged.</li>
</ul>
<p>For other administrative requirements related to Submission requests,
see "<a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How to send a
Submission request</a>" [<a href="#ref-member-sub">MEM8</a>].</p>
<h3 id="TeamSubmissionRights">11.2 Team Rights and Obligations</h3>
<p>Although they are not technical reports, the documents in a Member
Submission <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> fulfill the requirements
established by the Team, including the Team's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication
+ Rules</a>.</p>
<p>The Team sends a <a id="validation-notice">validation notice</a> to
the Submitter(s) once the Team has reviewed a Submission request and
judged it complete and correct.</p>
<p>Prior to a decision to <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledge</a> or <a
href="#SubmissionNo">reject</a>
the request, the request is <a href="#Team-only">Team-only</a>, and the
Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> hold it in the strictest
confidentiality. In particular, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span>
comment to the media about the Submission request.</p>
<h3 id="SubmissionYes">11.3 Acknowledgment of a Submission Request</h3>
<p>The Director <a href="#SubmissionYes">acknowledges</a> a Submission
request by sending an announcement to the Advisory Committee. Though the
announcement <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be made at any time, the
Submitter(s) can expect an announcement between <span class="time-interval">four
+ to six weeks</span> after the <a href="#validation-notice">validation
notice</a>. The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> keep the
Submitter(s) informed of when an announcement is likely to be made.</p>
<p>Once a Submission request has been acknowledged, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Publish the Member Submission.</li>
<li>Publish Team comments about the Submission request.</li>
</ul>
<p>If the Submitter(s) wishes to modify a document published as the result
of acknowledgment, the Submitter(s) <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
start the Submission process from the beginning, even just to correct
editorial changes.</p>
<h3 id="SubmissionNo">11.4 Rejection of a Submission Request</h3>
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> reject a Submission
request for a variety of reasons, including any of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request overlap in scope with the work of
a chartered Working Group, and acknowledgment might jeopardize the
progress of the group.</li>
<li>The IPR statement made by the Submitter(s) is inconsistent with the
W3C's <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">Patent
Policy</a> [<a href="#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">Document
+ License</a> [<a href="#ref-doc-license">PUB18</a>], or other IPR
policies.</li>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request are poor, might harm the Web, or
run counter to <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/mission">W3C's
mission</a>.</li>
<li>The ideas expressed in the request lie well outside the scope of
W3C's mission.</li>
</ul>
<p>In case of a rejection, the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
inform the Advisory Committee representative(s) of the Submitter(s). If
requested by the Submitter(s), the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
provide rationale to the Submitter(s) about the rejection. Other than to
the Submitter(s), the Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> make
statements about why a Submission request was rejected.</p>
<p>The Advisory Committee representative(s) of the Submitters(s) <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span>
appeal the rejection to the <a href="#TAG">TAG</a> if the reasons are
related to Web architecture, or to the <a href="#AB">Advisory Board</a>
if the request is rejected for other reasons. In this case the Team <span
class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
make available its rationale for the rejection to the appropriate body.
The Team will establish a process for such appeals that ensures the
appropriate <a href="#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>.</p>
<h2 id="GAProcess">12 Process Evolution</h2>
<p>The <span id="ProcessDoc">W3C Process Document</span> undergoes
similar consensus-building processes as technical reports, with the <a
href="#AB">Advisory
Board</a> acting as the sponsoring Working Group.</p>
<p>The Advisory Board initiates review of a Process Document as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>The Team sends a Call for Review to the Advisory Committee and other
W3C groups.</li>
<li>After comments have been <a href="#formal-address">formally
addressed</a> and the document possibly modified, the Team seeks
endorsement from the Members by initiating an <a href="#ACReview">Advisory
Committee review</a> of a Proposed Process Document. The review
period <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> last at least <span class="time-interval">four
- weeks</span>.</li>
<li><a href="#ACReviewAfter">After the Advisory Committee review</a>, if
there is consensus, the Team enacts the new process officially by
announcing the <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C decision</a> to the
Advisory Committee. If there was <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>,
Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a
href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>
the decision.</li>
</ol>
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also modify a Process Document by
following the processes for <a href="#rec-modify">modifying a
Recommendation</a>.</p>
<p>Reviews of the Process Document are not public reviews.</p>
<h2>13 <a id="references">References</a></h2>
<h3>13.1 <a id="public-refs">Public Resources</a></h3>
<p>The following public information is available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C
- Web site</a>.</p>
<dl>
<dt><a id="ref-join-w3c"><b>[PUB5]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How to Join W3C</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-member-agreement"><b>[PUB6]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
- Agreement</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-current-mem"><b>[PUB8]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List">The list of
current W3C Members</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-activity-list"><b>[PUB9]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/activities">The list of
W3C Activities</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-submission-list"><b>[PUB10]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/">The list of
acknowledged Member Submissions</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-doc-list"><b>[PUB11]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">The W3C technical reports
index</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-submission-overview"><b>[PUB13]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/1996/Template/">Submission
- request overview</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-people"><b>[PUB14]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/People/">The W3C Team</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-mission"><b>[PUB15]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/">About the World Wide
Web Consortium</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-team-submission-list"><b>[PUB16]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/TeamSubmission/">The list of
published Team Submissions</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-invited-expert"><b>[PUB17]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">Invited
- expert and collaborators agreement</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-doc-license"><b>[PUB18]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
+ weeks</span>.</li>
<li><a href="#ACReviewAfter">After the Advisory Committee review</a>, if
there is consensus, the Team enacts the new process officially by
announcing the <a href="#def-w3c-decision">W3C decision</a> to the
Advisory Committee. If there was <a href="#def-Dissent">dissent</a>,
Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a
href="#ACAppeal">appeal</a>
the decision.</li>
</ol>
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> also modify a Process Document by
following the processes for <a href="#rec-modify">modifying a
Recommendation</a>.</p>
<p>Reviews of the Process Document are not public reviews.</p>
<h2 id="references">13 References</h2>
<h3 id="public-refs">13.1 Public Resources</h3>
<p>The following public information is available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C
+ Web site</a>.</p>
<dl>
<dt id="ref-join-w3c">[PUB5]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/join">How to Join W3C</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="ref-member-agreement">[PUB6]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Agreement/Member-Agreement">Membership
+ Agreement</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="ref-current-mem">[PUB8]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List">The list of
current W3C Members</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="ref-activity-list">[PUB9]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/activities">The list of
W3C Activities</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-submission-list">[PUB10]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/">The list of
acknowledged Member Submissions</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-doc-list">[PUB11]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">The W3C technical reports
index</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-submission-overview">[PUB13]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Submission/1996/Template/">Submission
+ request overview</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-people">[PUB14]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/People/">The W3C Team</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-mission">[PUB15]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/">About the World Wide
Web Consortium</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-team-submission-list">[PUB16]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/TeamSubmission/">The list of
published Team Submissions</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-invited-expert">[PUB17]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">Invited
+ expert and collaborators agreement</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-doc-license">[PUB18]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">W3C
Document
- License</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-software-license"><b>[PUB19]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-software">W3C
+ License</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-software-license">[PUB19]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-software">W3C
Software
- Notice and License</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-translations"><b>[PUB20]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Translation/">Translations
- of W3C technical reports</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-pub-mailing-lists"><b>[PUB21]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Mail/">Public W3C mailing lists</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-coi"><b>[PUB23]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/06-conflictpolicy">Conflict
of Interest Policy for W3C Team Members Engaged in Outside
Professional Activities</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-tag-charter"><b>[PUB25]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/07/19-tag">Technical
Architecture Group (TAG) Charter</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-tag-home"><b>[PUB26]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/">The TAG home page</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-rec-tips"><b>[PUB27]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/05/rec-tips">Tips for Getting
to Recommendation Faster</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-liaison-list"><b>[PUB28]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/11/StdLiaison">W3C liaisons
with other organizations</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-ab-home"><b>[PUB30]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/ab/">The Advisory Board home
page</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-pubrules"><b>[PUB31]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication Rules</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-fellows"><b>[PUB32]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Recruitment/Fellows">W3C
Fellows Program</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-patentpolicy"><b>[PUB33]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/">5
Feb 2004 version of the W3C Patent Policy</a></cite>. The <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/">latest
- version of the W3C Patent Policy</a> is available at
http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/.</dd>
<dt><a id="in-place-tr-mod">[PUB35]</a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/republishing/">In-place
modification of W3C Technical Reports</a></cite></dd>
</dl>
<h3>13.2 <a id="member-refs">Member-only Resources</a></h3>
<p>The following <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> information is
available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C Web site</a>.</p>
<dl>
<dt><a id="ref-current-ac"><b>[MEM1]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/ACList">Current Advisory
Committee representatives</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-mailing-lists"><b>[MEM2]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Mail/">Group mailing lists</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-calendar"><b>[MEM3]</b></a></dt>
<dd>The <cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Eventscal">calendar of
all scheduled official W3C events</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-new-member"><b>[MEM4]</b></a></dt>
<dd>The <cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New Member
Orientation</a></cite>, which includes an introduction to W3C
processes from a practical standpoint, including relevant email
addresses.</dd>
<dt><a id="ref-ac-meetings"><b>[MEM5]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Meeting/">Advisory Committee
meetings</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-member-web"><b>[MEM6]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/">Member Web site</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-member-sub"><b>[MEM8]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How to send a
Submission request</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-guide"><b>[MEM9]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">The Art of Consensus</a></cite>,
a guidebook for W3C Working Group Chairs and other collaborators</dd>
<dt><a id="ref-discipline-gl"><b>[MEM14]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/09/discipline">Guidelines for
Disciplinary Action</a></cite></dd>
<dt><a id="ref-election-howto"><b>[MEM15]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/10/election-howto">How to
Organize an Advisory Board or TAG election</a></cite></dd>
</dl>
<h3>13.3 <a id="other-refs">Other References</a></h3>
<dl>
<dt><a id="ref-RFC2119"><b>[RFC2119]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt">"Key words for
use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels"</a></cite>, S.
Bradner, March 1997.</dd>
<dt><a id="ref-RFC2777"><b>[RFC2777]</b></a></dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2777.txt">"Publicly
Verifiable Nomcom Random Selection"</a></cite>, D. Eastlake 3rd,
February 2000.</dd>
</dl>
<h2>14 <a id="acks">Acknowledgments</a></h2>
<p>The following individuals have contributed to this proposal for a
revised Process: Daniel Appelquist (Telefonica), Art Barstow (Nokia),
Robin Berjon (W3C), Judy Brewer (W3C), Marcos Caceres (Mozilla), Wayne
Carr (Intel), Michael Champion (W3C), Mark Crawford (SAP), Karl Dubost
(Mozilla), Fantasai (unaffiliated), Virginie Galindo (Gemalto), Daniel
Glazman (Disruptive Innovations), Eduardo Gutentag (unaffiiliated), Brad
Hill (Facebook), Cullen Jennings (Cisco), Jeff Jaffe (W3C), Brain
Kardell (JQuery), Peter Linss (HP), Nigel Megitt (BBC), Olle Olsson
(SICS), Natasha Rooney (GSMA), Sam Ruby (IBM), David Singer (Apple),
Henri Sivonen (Mozilla), Josh Soref (Blackberry), Anne van Kesteren
(Mozilla), Léonie Watson (The Paciello Group), Mike West (Google), Chris
Wilson (Google), Steve Zilles (Adobe).</p>
<p>The following individuals contributed to the development of earlier
versions of the Process: Jean-François Abramatic (IBM, and previously
ILOG and W3C), Dan Appelquist (Telefonica), Art Barstow (Nokia), Ann
Bassetti (The Boeing Company), Jim Bell (HP), Robin Berjon (W3C), Tim
Berners-Lee (W3C), Klaus Birkenbihl (Fraunhofer Gesellschaft), Don
Brutzman (Web3D), Carl Cargill (Netscape, Sun Microsystems), Wayne Carr
(Intel), Marcos Cáceres (Mozilla), Michael Champion (Microsoft), Paul
Cotton (Microsoft), Mark Crawford (SAP), Tantek Çelik (Mozilla), Don
Deutsch (Oracle), David Fallside (IBM), Fantasai (Mozilla), Wendy Fong
(Hewlett-Packard), Virginie Galindo (Gemalto), Daniel Glazman
(Disruptive Innovations), Paul Grosso (Arbortext), Eduardo Gutentag (Sun
Microsystems), Joe Hall (CDT), Ivan Herman (W3C), Ian Hickson (Google),
Steve Holbrook (IBM), Renato Iannella (IPR Systems), Ian Jacobs (W3C),
Jeff Jaffe (W3C), Cullen Jennings (Cisco), Sally Khudairi (W3C), John
Klensin (MCI), Tim Krauskopf (Spyglass), Kari Laihonen (Ericsson), Ken
Laskey (MITRE), Ora Lassila (Nokia), Håkon Wium Lie (Opera Software),
Chris Lilley (W3C), Bede McCall (MITRE), Giri Mandyam (Qualcomm), Larry
Masinter (Adobe Systems), Qiuling Pan (Huawei), TV Raman (Google),
Thomas Reardon (Microsoft), Claus von Riegen (SAP AG), David Singer
(Apple), David Singer (IBM), Ralph Swick (W3C), Anne van Kesteren,
Jean-Charles Verdié (MStar), Chris Wilson (Google), Lauren Wood
(unaffiliated), and Steve Zilles (Adobe Systems).</p>
<h2 id="changes">15 Changes</h2>
<p>This document is based on 1 August 2014 Process. <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/">Detailed
- change logs</a> are available.</p>
<p>The notable changes include:</p>
<h3>Current Editor's draft</h3>
<ul>
<li>Remove <a id="GCGCreation" name="CGCreation"></a><a id="GroupsCG" name="GroupsCG"></a>
<a id="CGParticipation" name="CGParticipation"></a><a id="cgparticipant"
name="cgparticipant"></a>
<a id="CGCharter" name="CGCharter"></a>Coordination groups - <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/track/issues/129">ISSUE-129</a></li>
<li>Remove vestigial traces of Good Standing</li>
</ul>
<h3>Previous Editor's drafts</h3>
<ul>
<li>Loosen requirement on multiple employees of one member on TAG -
section 2.5.1</li>
<li>Replace "W3C Chair" with "CEO"</li>
<li>Editorial tweaks to what is requested for review</li>
<li>Remove section <span id="three-month-rule">6.2.7 "Heartbeat"
publishing requirement</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="color: black;">30 September "AC intermediate review"</span></h3>
<p>Provided to the Advisory Committee to review the following changes made
compared to the 1 August 2014 Operative Process document</p>
<ul>
<li>Remove <a id="def-Activity">A</a><a id="ActivityStatement">c</a><a
id="ActivityDevelopment">t</a><a
id="ActivityCreation">i</a><a
id="ActivityModification">v</a><a
id="ActivityExtension">i</a><a
id="ActivityTermination">t</a><a
id="ActivityProposal">ies</a>
<a id="Activities">f</a>rom the Process (as resolved multiple times
since 2007)</li>
<li>Remove 6.2.1.7 <a id="good-standing">Good Standing in a Working
Group</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</body>
</html>
\ No newline at end of file
+ Notice and License</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-translations">[PUB20]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Translation/">Translations
+ of W3C technical reports</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-pub-mailing-lists">[PUB21]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Mail/">Public W3C mailing lists</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-coi">[PUB23]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/06-conflictpolicy">Conflict
of Interest Policy for W3C Team Members Engaged in Outside
Professional Activities</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-tag-charter">[PUB25]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/07/19-tag">Technical
Architecture Group (TAG) Charter</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-tag-home">[PUB26]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/">The TAG home page</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-rec-tips">[PUB27]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/05/rec-tips">Tips for Getting
to Recommendation Faster</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-liaison-list">[PUB28]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/11/StdLiaison">W3C liaisons
with other organizations</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-ab-home">[PUB30]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/ab/">The Advisory Board home
page</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-pubrules">[PUB31]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/pubrules">Publication Rules</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-fellows">[PUB32]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Recruitment/Fellows">W3C
Fellows Program</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-patentpolicy">[PUB33]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/">5
Feb 2004 version of the W3C Patent Policy</a></cite>. The <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/">latest
+ version of the W3C Patent Policy</a> is available at
http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/.</dd>
<dt id="in-place-tr-mod">[PUB35]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/republishing/">In-place
modification of W3C Technical Reports</a></cite></dd>
</dl>
<h3>13.2 <a id="member-refs">Member-only Resources</a></h3>
<p>The following <a href="#Member-only">Member-only</a> information is
available at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C Web site</a>.</p>
<dl>
<dt id="rdf-current-ac">[MEM1]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/ACList">Current Advisory
Committee representatives</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-mailing-lists">[MEM2]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Mail/">Group mailing lists</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-calendar">[MEM3]</dt>
<dd>The <cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Eventscal">calendar of
all scheduled official W3C events</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-new-member">[MEM4]</dt>
<dd>The <cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Intro">New Member
Orientation</a></cite>, which includes an introduction to W3C
processes from a practical standpoint, including relevant email
addresses.</dd>
<dt id="rdf-ac-meetings">[MEM5]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Meeting/">Advisory Committee
meetings</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-member-web">[MEM6]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/">Member Web site</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-member-sub">[MEM8]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/submission">How to send a
Submission request</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-guide">[MEM9]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">The Art of Consensus</a></cite>,
a guidebook for W3C Working Group Chairs and other collaborators</dd>
<dt id="rdf-discipline-gl">[MEM14]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/09/discipline">Guidelines for
Disciplinary Action</a></cite></dd>
<dt id="rdf-election-howto">[MEM15]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/10/election-howto">How to
Organize an Advisory Board or TAG election</a></cite></dd>
</dl>
<h3> id="other-refs">13.3 Other References</h3>
<dl>
<dt id="rdf-RFC2119">[RFC2119]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt">"Key words for
use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels"</a></cite>, S.
Bradner, March 1997.</dd>
<dt id="ref-RFC2777">[RFC2777]</dt>
<dd><cite><a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2777.txt">"Publicly
Verifiable Nomcom Random Selection"</a></cite>, D. Eastlake 3rd,
February 2000.</dd>
</dl>
<h2 id="acks">14 Acknowledgments</h2>
<p>The following individuals have contributed to this proposal for a
revised Process: Daniel Appelquist (Telefonica), Art Barstow (Nokia),
Robin Berjon (W3C), Judy Brewer (W3C), Marcos Cáceres (Mozilla), Wayne
Carr (Intel), Michael Champion (W3C), Mark Crawford (SAP), Karl Dubost
(Mozilla), Fantasai (unaffiliated), Virginie Galindo (Gemalto), Daniel
Glazman (Disruptive Innovations), Eduardo Gutentag (unaffiiliated), Brad
Hill (Facebook), Cullen Jennings (Cisco), Jeff Jaffe (W3C), Brain
Kardell (JQuery), Peter Linss (HP), Nigel Megitt (BBC), Olle Olsson
(SICS), Natasha Rooney (GSMA), Sam Ruby (IBM), David Singer (Apple),
Henri Sivonen (Mozilla), Josh Soref (BlackBerry), Anne van Kesteren
(Mozilla), Léonie Watson (The Paciello Group), Mike West (Google), Chris
Wilson (Google), Steve Zilles (Adobe).</p>
<p>The following individuals contributed to the development of earlier
versions of the Process: Jean-François Abramatic (IBM, and previously
ILOG and W3C), Dan Appelquist (Telefonica), Art Barstow (Nokia), Ann
Bassetti (The Boeing Company), Jim Bell (HP), Robin Berjon (W3C), Tim
Berners-Lee (W3C), Klaus Birkenbihl (Fraunhofer Gesellschaft), Don
Brutzman (Web3D), Carl Cargill (Netscape, Sun Microsystems), Wayne Carr
(Intel), Marcos Cáceres (Mozilla), Michael Champion (Microsoft), Paul
Cotton (Microsoft), Mark Crawford (SAP), Tantek Çelik (Mozilla), Don
Deutsch (Oracle), David Fallside (IBM), Fantasai (Mozilla), Wendy Fong
(Hewlett-Packard), Virginie Galindo (Gemalto), Daniel Glazman
(Disruptive Innovations), Paul Grosso (Arbortext), Eduardo Gutentag (Sun
Microsystems), Joe Hall (CDT), Ivan Herman (W3C), Ian Hickson (Google),
Steve Holbrook (IBM), Renato Iannella (IPR Systems), Ian Jacobs (W3C),
Jeff Jaffe (W3C), Cullen Jennings (Cisco), Sally Khudairi (W3C), John
Klensin (MCI), Tim Krauskopf (Spyglass), Kari Laihonen (Ericsson), Ken
Laskey (MITRE), Ora Lassila (Nokia), Håkon Wium Lie (Opera Software),
Chris Lilley (W3C), Bede McCall (MITRE), Giri Mandyam (Qualcomm), Larry
Masinter (Adobe Systems), Qiuling Pan (Huawei), TV Raman (Google),
Thomas Reardon (Microsoft), Claus von Riegen (SAP AG), David Singer
(Apple), David Singer (IBM), Ralph Swick (W3C), Anne van Kesteren,
Jean-Charles Verdié (MStar), Chris Wilson (Google), Lauren Wood
(unaffiliated), and Steve Zilles (Adobe Systems).</p>
<h2 id="changes">15 Changes</h2>
<p>This document is based on 1 August 2014 Process. <a href="https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/AB/">Detailed
+ change logs</a> are available.</p>
<p>The notable changes include:</p>
<h3>Current Editor's draft</h3>
<ul>
<li>Editorial cleanups</li>
</ul>
<h3>Previous Editor's drafts</h3>
<ul>
<li>Remove <a id="GCGCreation" name="CGCreation"></a><a id="GroupsCG" name="GroupsCG"></a>
<a id="CGParticipation" name="CGParticipation"></a><a id="cgparticipant"
name="cgparticipant"></a>
<a id="CGCharter" name="CGCharter"></a>Coordination groups - <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/w3process/track/issues/129">ISSUE-129</a></li>
<li>Remove vestigial traces of Good Standing</li>
<li>Loosen requirement on multiple employees of one member on TAG -
section 2.5.1</li>
<li>Replace "W3C Chair" with "CEO"</li>
<li>Editorial tweaks to what is requested for review</li>
<li>Remove section <span id="three-month-rule">6.2.7 "Heartbeat"
publishing requirement</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>30 September "AC intermediate review" draft</h3>
<p>Provided to the Advisory Committee to review the following changes made
compared to the 1 August 2014 Operative Process document</p>
<ul>
<li>Remove <a id="ActivityProposal">Activities</a> from the Process (as
resolved multiple times since 2007)</li>
<li>Remove <a id="good-standing">6.2.1.7</a> Good Standing in a Working
Group</li>
</ul>
</main>
</body>
</html>
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