I want to participate as an individual in the HTML Working Group but I work for a W3C Member. Why can I join as an Invited Expert?
The primary reason has to do with the W3C Patent Policy, which promotes the creation of standards that may be implemented Royalty-Free. The W3C Patent Policy is most effective when W3C Members with patent portfolios participate. To participate, they agree to the Royalty-Free Licensing Requirements of the policy; individuals are much less likely to hold patents than organizations. The policy has gained broad support from W3C Members and public alike. Allowing individual participation by Member employees would undermine the intent of the policy, in turn eroding confidence in the ability to implement the standard on a Royalty-Free basis. For additional information about the W3C Patent Policy, please refer to the Overview and Summary of W3C Patent Policy, discussion of the Business Benefits of the W3C Patent Policy, Patent Policy FAQ, and Patent Policy Fact Sheet (which has statistics about the policy in practice).
Related Questions
- Can an individual join W3C (as an Affiliate Member) and participate in a Working Group even when that individual is also an employee of another W3C Member?
- I want to participate as an individual in the HTML Working Group but I work for a W3C Member. Why can I join as an Invited Expert?
- Has W3C changed its Process for Invited Experts in the W3C HTML Working Group?
