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Subject: ODF 1.2cd01 --- Improper use of MAY NOT as requirement keywords


Committee Draft 1 includes 20 occurrences of the term MAY NOT. Some
appear to express an option; others appear to express prohibitions;
and the intent of others is unclear.

Under ISO/IEC, ISO/IEC Directives Part 2: Rules for the Structure and
Drafting of International Standards (5th Edition, 21 December 2004),
<http://www.iec.ch/tiss/iec/Directives-Part2-Ed5.pdf>, Annex H:

Table H.1 forbids the use of MAY NOT to express a prohibition. Table
H.3 mandates the use of NEED NOT to express options in the negative
form and MAY in the affirmative form.

Recommendation: Edit all provisions containing the term MAY NOT in the
draft specification to use the appropriate requirement keywords
specified by ISO/IEC Directives Part 2.

Best regards,

Paul E. Merrell, J.D. (Marbux)

-- 
Universal Interoperability Council
<http:www.universal-interop-council.org>


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