Re: [tag] Re: Starting an issues list?

[Stephen Green <stephen.green@documentengineeringservices.com>]

Yes, thanks Dennis,

Being a member requires either a signature from a
employer or the employer has to become a member
of OASIS.

I agree that sending a comment is tricky too when an
employer automatically owns all one's IPR: I would
only be able (as would many employees who have
such contracts) to comment in ways which don't create
new IPR if I am unable to assign any IPR to OASIS. An
important point regarding public reviews.

A ta-dev list would not require any such formal
IPR assignment though (which also means it can't
lead directly to TAG TC adoption of any ideas into
the TAG TC IPR). Public domain stuff or Qs and As
which don't violate anyone's IPR can be contributed
on such a list (usual thing for a dev list) but then
everyone has to watch out that no IPR agreements
are violated. This necessitates use of comment list
if anything of substance in terms of IPR is to be
contributed to the TAG TC itself. For me I think a
dev list is OK for questions and answers and the like.
The comment list is OK too as long as what I send
to it isn't creating new IPR (e.g. OK, I would think,
to point out errors, make criticisms, offer opinions,
etc but not for suggesting substantial content).

Best regards

Steve
---
Stephen D Green




On 5 February 2010 17:49, Dennis E. Hamilton <dennis.hamilton@acm.org> wrote:
> Informally, it seems to me that if tag-comment contribution is an issue for
> you, Contribution on a tag-dev might be too.  I think it would be for me.
>
> On the other hand, I agree that you are talking about matters that would not
> be appropriate for tag-comment, which is supposed to be for
> comments/contributions on the specifications themselves.
>
> I do agree that a tag-dev or tag-users list is an useful thing to have,
> whether it is an OASIS-hosted list or in some other venue that the TAG TC
> page could link to.  Whatever the arrangement, your presence as a
> participant would be invaluable.
>
>  - Dennis
>
> MY PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE [probably more than matters here]
>
> If there were some IPR-disclosure impediment to making comments on
> tag-comment, I would expect to be subject the same constraint (e.g., under
> an employer confidentiality and invention ownership condition) on a tag-dev
> list, whether or not OASIS has a click-through agreement on a list of theirs
> that I contribute to.
>
> My personal experience is that such constraints involve local employment law
> and particular conditions of employment.  As an independent consultant, I
> operate under similar restraints in contractual arrangements with clients.
> None of those arrangements impinge on my OASIS participation and
> contributions.  I make certain of that.  And I honor the confidentiality and
> property rights that are my contractual obligations independent of the
> particular forums and discussions I participate in, whether public or
> private.
>
> For open-source projects that I lead, I do not accept anonymous
> contributions and I make sure that anyone offering to provide substantial
> contributions has any necessary employer permissions to make such
> contributions without encumbrance.  If there is any doubt, or the
> contributor is reluctant to consult their employer on the matter, I request
> that they not contribute. This is a simple, straightforward precaution.
> (Although limiting contributions is no fool-proof protection against
> infringement, it is a valuable first-order safeguard.)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stephengreenubl@gmail.com [mailto:stephengreenubl@gmail.com] On Behalf
> Of Stephen Green
> Sent: Friday, February 05, 2010 01:42
> http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/tag/201002/msg00047.html
> To: TAG TC
> Subject: Re: [tag] Re: Starting an issues list?
>
> Something that has worked with other TCs is to have a
> public list for users of the technology who aren't members
> and TC/OASIS members alike to discuss the technology
> and its use - ebxml-dev, ubl-dev, etc
>
> How about a tag-dev or ta-dev list? Is this something we
> could ask OASIS to set up for test assertions to help
> adoption and also to help adoption of associated practices
> for standards (e.g. conformance clauses, QA in general, etc)?
>
> For me this would presumably solve my IPR problems as
> I could contribute to explaining and answering questions
> and discussing usages of TAG test assertions and markup
> without worrying about IPR too much. Generally though, it
> could help adoption and be an informal way to provide and
> get support on a voluntary basis. It would also be a place
> for general discussion (except that official comments and
> contributions would still have to be channelled through the
> comments list more formally to avoid IPR issues).
>
> [ ... ]
>
>
>