RFC 2028 (rfc2028) - Page 3 of 7

The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process

RFC 2028                   IETF Organizations               October 1996


   For all purposes relevant to the Internet Standards development
   process, membership in the IETF and its Working Groups is defined to
   be established solely and entirely by individual participation in
   IETF and Working Group activities. Participation in the IETF and its
   Working Groups is by individual technical contributors rather than by
   formal representatives of organizations.

   Anyone with the time and interest to do so is entitled and urged to
   participate actively in one or more IETF Working Groups and to attend
   IETF meetings which are held three times a year.  In most cases
   active Working Group participation is possible through electronic
   mail alone.  Internet video conferencing is also being used to allow
   for remote participation.

   To ensure a fair and open process, participants in the IETF and its
   Working Groups must be able to disclose, and must disclose to the
   Working Group chairs any relevant current or pending intellectual
   property rights that are reasonably and personally known to the
   participant if they participate in discussions about a specific
   technology.

   New Working Groups are established within the IETF by explicit
   charter.  The guidelines and procedures for the formation and
   operation of IETF working groups are described in detail in [A].

   A Working Group is managed by one or more Working Group chairs (see
   section 2.2).  It may also include editors of documents that record
   the group's work (see section 2.3). Further details of Working Group
   operation are contained in [A]

   IETF Working Groups display a spirit of cooperation as well as a high
   degree of technical maturity;  IETF participants recognize that the
   greatest benefit for all members of the Internet community results
   from cooperative development of technically superior protocols and
   services.

3.3  IETF Secretariat

   The administrative functions necessary to support the activities of
   the IETF are performed by a Secretariat consisting of the IETF
   Executive Director and his or her staff. The IETF Executive Director
   is the formal point of contact for matters concerning any and all
   aspects of the Internet standards process, and is responsible for
   maintaining the formal public record of the Internet standards
   process [B].






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