World Wide Web Consortium Process Document
5 February 2004
On 1 August 2014, W3C began a transition away from this document; see the current W3C Process Document.
- This version:
- http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/
- Latest operative version:
- http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/
- Previous operative version:
- http://www.w3.org/2003/06/Process-20030618/
- Editor:
- Ian Jacobs, W3C
Please refer to the errata
for this document, which may include some normative corrections.
This document is also available in these non-normative packages: single HTML file, self-contained gzipped tar archive, self-contained zip archive.
There may be translations
of this document.
Copyright ©
1996-2004 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM,
Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C liability, trademark, document use
and software
licensing rules apply. Your interactions with this site are in accordance
with our public and Member privacy
statements.
The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) 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.
For more information about the W3C mission and the history of W3C, please
refer to About W3C [PUB15].
This is the 5 February 2004 version of the W3C Process Document. This
document has been produced by the W3C Advisory Board
and reviewed by the W3C Members and Team.
This version of the Process Document has been harmonized with the 5 February 2004 version of the W3C
Patent Policy [PUB33]. The list of changes to the public Process
Document is available on the Web.
Please send comments about this document to [email protected] (Member-only
archive). Additional Member-only information about the Process Document
(e.g., issues lists, Member-only drafts, and changes to Member-only drafts) is
available from the Process Plan page.
General information about W3C is available on the
Web, including information about becoming a W3C Member.
The terms MUST, MUST NOT, SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, REQUIRED, and MAY when
highlighted (through style sheets, and in uppercase in the source) are used in
accordance with RFC 2119 [RFC2119]. The term NOT REQUIRED (not defined
in RFC 2119) indicates exemption.
Time intervals in this document are highlighted through style sheets.
W3C Members' attention is called to the fact that provisions of the Process
Document are binding on Members per the Membership Agreement [PUB6]. The Patent Policy W3C Patent Policy [PUB33] is incorporated by normative
reference as a part of the Process Document, and is thus equally binding.
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.