Open letter to CGM Open Member Section

[Don Larson <dlarson@cgmlarson.com>]

Dear CGM Open Member Section Member,

We would like to recap the communications that we have recently had with
some of you privately.

You may have noticed that CGM Open (CGMO) has been pretty quiet since last
Fall.  Without going into further detail here, we of the Steering Committee
(SC) of the CGMO Member Section (MS) are in agreement that a significant
change is needed.  We wish to apprise you of our conclusions and
recommendations, to invite any further questions, and to ask you to support
our recommendations in the ballot which is opening concurrently.

Our conclusion:  The CGM Open Member Section SC believes that ongoing
support for further WebCGM development, and for the broader mission of CGM
Open and the worldwide CGM community, will be best served in an independent
organization outside of OASIS.  Discussions we have had with OASIS
management have not led us to change this conclusion.

Legal status:  The legal documents by which CGM Open Consortium Inc was
absorbed and became the OASIS CGMO MS stipulate:  if we (the MS Members)
"determine to pursue the WebCGM work as, or as a part of, a new or existing
business entity, separate from OASIS", then (to paraphrase) OASIS will
cooperate in transferring any needed intellectual property assets to the
new entity.  The determination is made by a simple majority vote of you,
the MS Members.

The SC Recommends: A new non-profit organization, "CGM Open Foundation", is
being incorporated to be the new home for WebCGM development, for the
broader CGM Open mission, and for the collective CGM expertise that has
populated CGM Open since its inception in 1998. The CGMO MS Steering
Committee has formally resolved to immediately start an MS ballot to
transfer out of OASIS, to the CGM Open Foundation (see reference [1]).

The SC Requests:  We request that you support our recommendation to move
operations to CGM Open Foundation.  Minimally, "support" means a "yes" vote
in the pending email ballot, which you will receive in the next message on
this MS list.

Benefits:  You will also find, should you wish to join CGM Open Foundation,
that the dues will be less than your current dues, commensurate with
CGMOF's narrower scope and focus.  The interim Board of Directors also
defines you who are current CGMO MS members as "Legacy Members" of CGMOF
(should you join), and is investigating some sort of dues relief for those
who opt to join CGMOF while remaining in OASIS.

References:
[1] SC
minutes:
https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/cgmopen-sc/download.php/49383/20130531_CGMO_SC.pdf

Respectfully Signed,
The SC:  Don Larson (Chair), Stuart Galt (TC Chair), Lofton Henderson
(Program Director)
Special Advisor to the SC:  Dieter Weidenbrueck (past Chair)