Ted called me on that I was using a Term of Art which has not been formally
defined here in the IETF so lets define the term SPONSOR ("Sponsor",
"SPONSOR") for use in the IETF's IP Processes.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Theodore Tso" <tytso@xxxxxxx>
To: "TS Glassey" <tglassey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "JORDI PALET MARTINEZ" <jordi.palet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 7:31 PM
Subject: Re: Question for the IETF... How are people supposed to
verify the IETF's assumptions?
SNIP
First of all, you just capitalized Sponsor. If you're going to do
this, note that in formally drafted legal documents these sorts of
terms are defined before they are used.
Ted
I think the term Sponsor as its generally used in the real world should also
work here in the IETF, so the term "SPONSOR" or "Sponsor" as what in legal
works is called "Terms of Art" should probably pertain to anyone who sends
another to an IETF meeting or subsidizes the IETF operations or the vetting
of IETF workproduct by a sponsored engineer. That also would include one
that provides any material support to the IETF and its operations, or other
access to resources used in the development of an Intellectual Property
inside the IETF. Sponsorship could also include anyone who donates or
contributes IP to the IETF as well then.
With that set of constraints, Sponsor's could for instance be a University,
a Research Laboratory, Trade Schools, or perhaps a Foundation, or a
Government. Likewise then so is Private Company or Private Citizen who
funds their own participation and attendance.
Sponsors would also hold all Work For Hire under Copyright rights unless
otherwise demonstrated as well. The term Sponsor's would also pertain to
those operating IETF mirrors and WG Mailing List Systems. They also qualify
as "Sponsor's of the IETF operations", as would an employer who sent Staff
Member's to the IETF meeting's or allows their participation through those
corporate infrastructures.
Wikipedia for instance defines "sponsor" as:
---
To sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person,
or organization financially or through the provision of products
or services.
---
The Term "Sponsor" then is a person named for that activity. So the use of
the Term Of Art is appropriate in writing I believe.
The definition for Sponsorship in Wikipedia continues that with:
---
Many times a company's (any entities) motives for sponsorship
are altruistic in order to create goodwill in the community which
increases their good reputation. However, sponsorship is more
commonly used to derive benefit from the associations created
for a company's brand(s) or image as a result of the sponsorship.
---
My analysis is that in Global Standards those Sponsorships provide direct
access to the creation of technology standards which equate directly to the
marketability of certain Intellectual Properties and implementations of
those IP's in the form of Software's and Systems and so they form a key
aspect of Business Development for Technology Company's and as such are key
to them and not an Altruistic Endeavor.
Todd Glassey
_______________________________________________
Ietf@xxxxxxxx
https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf