INCITS

1
INCITS

• INCITS T20 Meeting October 23, 2002

2
Agenda

• Organizational Issues (TCs, TGs, Ad Hocs)
• Membership / Membership Requirements (Meetings
  and Voting)
• Upcoming Changes
• Meeting Requirements
• Ballots How to Conduct Resolution
• Officer Responsibilities (CH, VC, Secretary)
• Anti-Trust and IPR Policy
• Appeals Process
• Web Resources (Top Ten)

3
Overview of ANSI

• ANSI Accreditation
• accredits entities to develop base standards
• three types of accreditation
• 1. accredited standards committee (e.g. ,
  INCITS, X9, T1)
• 2. accredited organization (e.g., IEEE, EIA,
  NISO)
• 3. accredited canvass (e.g., NIST, UL, HFS )
• ANSI requires the following elements to ensure
  due process
• Openness
• Balance
• Written Procedures
• Appeals
• Notification of Standards Development
• Consideration of Views and Objections
• Consideration of Standards Proposals
• Records

4
Accredited Procedures

• ANSI reviews our procedures to ensure we are in
  compliance with ANSI requirements.
• This helps us to avoid legal problems -- and
  penalties -- incurred by other standards
  developers or the companies participating in
  standards development.

5
Organizational Issues
ANSI American National Standards Institute
JTC 1 Information Technology
INCITS Secretariat - ITI Members -
Producers/Consumers/General Interest
JTC 1 TAG Administrator - ITI
MOC Management Operations Committee
PPC Procedures and Policy Committee
INCITS Technical Committees
CT22 TAG - U.S. TAG to ISO/IEC JTC
1/SC22 Maintenance technical committees INCITS/B
9 Paper/Forms Layout INCITS/J1 PL/I INCITS/J15
PL/B INCITS/J17 Prolog INCITS/J18 REXX
INCITS/T6 Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) Technology INCITS/T10 I/O
Interface - Lower Level INCITS/T11 I/O Interface
- Device Level INCITS/T13 I/O Interface - AT
Attachment INCITS/T20 Real Time Locating
Systems (RTLS) INCITS/V1 Text
Office Publishing
Systems INCITS/V2, Information Technology
Access Interface INCITS/V3,
eCommerce INCITS/W1 Office Machines
INCITS/J16 C INCITS/K5 Vocabulary INCITS/L1
Geographic Info. Systems
(GIS) INCITS/L2 Codes Character
Sets INCITS/L3 Audio/Picture Coding INCITS/L8
Data Representation INCITS/M1 Biometrics INCITS/R1
Real-Time Computing
Systems INCITS/T3 Open Distributed
Processing INCITS/T4 Security Techniques
INCITS/B5 Flexible Magnetic
Media and Formats INCITS/B10 Identification Cards
and Related Devices INCITS/B11
Optical Digital Data
Disks INCITS/H2 Database INCITS/H3 Computer
Graphics Image
Processing INCITS/J3 FORTRAN INCITS/J4
COBOL INCITS/J7 APT INCITS/J9 PASCAL INCITS/J11
C INCITS/J13 LISP
6
Organizational Issues Technical Committees (TCs)

• The work of INCITS is distributed among a number
  of TCs.
• The technical scope of each TC comprises the
  scope of its assigned INCITS projects.
• Resources Officers, maintenance of membership,
  agendas, minutes.

7
Organizational Issues Task Groups (TGs)

• TGs may be established as required to deal with
  specific segments of work. A TG may be formed to
  develop one or more related standards and/or
  technical reports, or a portion of one standard,
  or to collect data or study a particular problem
  to facilitate decisions by the parent body.
• Establishment of a TG is approved by vote of its
  parent body (TC or SG) with notification to
  INCITS.

8
Organizational Issues Task Groups (TGs)

• All reports of establishment of TGs must include
  the proposed scope (list of projects) and program
  of work for the TG when it is forwarded to
  INCITS.
• Resources Officers, maintenance of membership,
  agendas, minutes.

9
Organizational Issues Ad Hocs

• An ad hoc group may be established by the Chair
  of the parent body for one or more specific tasks
  to be completed not later than the end of the
  second following meeting of the parent body.
• Such a group may consist of one or more persons.
  Its function is to do a specific job and report
  back. Upon completion of its report, or at the
  second meeting of the parent body following the
  ad hoc group's establishment, the group is
  dissolved.

10
Organizational Issues Ad Hocs

• Since an ad hoc group is limited in duration and
  scope, its business may be conducted less
  formally than that of other INCITS Subgroups. The
  principal record-keeping effort should be the
  documentation of its report.
• However, when the ad hoc group meets between
  scheduled meetings of its parent group, then the
  requirements for meeting notices and agenda in
  4.3 shall be followed.

11
Organizational Issues Ad Hocs

• Results of such meetings may be documented in
  minutes or the final report to the parent
  committee.
• Resources Report, meeting announcements
  comprised of members of the committee
• Note after the two meetings, the committee may
  vote to reconstitute the ad hoc and provide a
  charter and scope of work.

12
Managing the Membership - New

• 1.2 Membership and Attendance
• 1.2.1 Introduction of Attendees and New Members
• New members must indicate which organization
  is applying for membership and whether or not the
  membership is for a Voting or Advisory
  membership. Also identify the Representatives of
  that Organization.

13
Definition of Organization for Voting Purposes
(INCITS/SD-2, Section 4.2.4)

• Government (separate agencies)
• Corporation (separate BoD)
• Consultant
• Academia
• Vendor-Specific User Groups, Professional
  Societies, Consortia, and Other SDOs
• Other

14
Recent T20 Motions

• Motion 1  All voting members will give full
  disclosure of any type of commercial relationship
  or payments to them directly or to other members
  that may affect the independence of their vote or
  their participation in the T20 committee. 
• Motion 2  To defer the question of the previous
  motion pending a decision by INCITS of the
  appropriateness of the motion. 

15
Secretariat Response

• The only appropriate declaration by member
  organizations is called out in the INCITS/SD-2,
  Section 4.2.4.2.3 4.2.4.2.3. Consultant
  Organization
• A consultant organization is defined as an
  organization whose principal source of revenue is
  derived from providing consulting services for
  other organizations. There shall be only one
  voting membership for each separate consultant
  organization.
• In order to be in the voting member category,
  consultant organizations shall have to declare
  that their participation is not being funded by
  any organization already having voting
  membership.
• This declaration only is made if the Consultant
  Organization wishes to participate as a voting
  member, on whether or not the organization's
  participation is being funded by any other
  organization on T20 that already has voting
  membership .
• NO other disclosures are required.

16
Upcoming Changes

• INCITS Executive Board and JTC 1 TAG have
  approved the formation of a new organization
  which merges the two groups.
• Attaining Membership Rule Change in the Technical
  Committees (currently under ballot with the
  INCITS EB)Section 4.2.3.1.4, TCs, TGs SGs
  (Voting Membership) A representative of a
  prospective voting member shall initially attend
  a meeting of the TC, TG, or SG without voting
  privileges and reaffirm interest in the work of
  the TC, TG, or SG. Voting privileges become
  effective with attendance at one of the next two
  successive meetings and receipt by the
  Secretariat of the applicable fees for the
  membership year. For a new subgroup, all
  attendees at the formation meeting or second
  meeting shall be considered voting members,
  subject to the rules in section 4.2.4 below.

17
Managing the Membership Jeopardy

• 1.2.2 Roll Call of Members in Jeopardy Due to
  Failure to Attend Meetings
• Note for the minutes those that were warned
  prior to this meeting. If they are not in
  attendance, membership is terminated (post
  jeopardy letter to the agenda).
• INCITS SD-2, 4.2.6 a)
• The principal and all alternate
  representative(s) shall be warned in writing upon
  failure of the organization to
• (1) attend two out of three successive meetings,
  in which case the membership shall be terminated
  if not represented at the next meeting or
• 1.2.3 Roll Call of Members in Jeopardy Due to
  Failure to Return Letter Ballots
• Note for the minutes those that were warned
  prior to this meeting. If they are not in
  attendance, membership is terminated (post
  jeopardy letter to the agenda).
• INCITS SD-2, 4.2.6 a)
• The principal and all alternate
  representative(s) shall be warned in writing upon
  failure of the organization to
• (2) return two out of three successive non
  accelerated letter ballots if the next non
  accelerated letter ballot (identified by LB
  number) after the warning is not returned,

18
Managing the Membership

• 1.2.4 Membership Report
• Listing of the Members (Organizations/Representati
  ves) attached specifying Voting or Advisory
  Memberships.
• Specify how many are voting members.
• Call Quorum.

19
Managing the Membership 2002 Dues

• These fees directly support INCITS and its
  program of work, including including standards
  processing, web-integrated services for the
  members (document distribution, balloting),
  meeting support and marketing. INCITS also
  supports the Secretariats held by the U.S.
  National Body at ANSI.
• INCITS Executive Board
• Fortune 1000 or Fortune Global 500 Company,
  or Federal Government Agency - 3200
• Others - 1000
• INCITS Subgroups
• Voting members and advisory members on Technical
  Committees (including one Alternate) - 800
• Technical Committee Additional Alternates,
  Technical Committee Task Groups - 800
• Note If an organization is participating in a
  specific Technical Committee, they are able to
  designate a Principle and Alternate for any Task
  Group under that TC activity for no additional
  fee. Requests for Task Group participation should
  be formally submitted as with any membership
  request.

20
INCITS/SD-2, Section 4.3.5 - Quorum

• Quorum for INCITS and its subgroups is defined
  accordingly
• For INCITS, quorum is a majority of the voting
  membership.
• For PPC, quorum is one-half of the voting
  membership.
• For SGs there is no minimum attendance required
  for quorum.
• For Compound TAGs, quorum is four voting members
  or fifty percent of the voting membership,
  whichever is less.
• For all other INCITS Subgroups, quorum is
  one-third of the voting membership with at least
  four members present.

21
Managing the Meeting

• 1.3 Approval of the Minutes of the Previous
  Meeting
• 1.3.1 Approval of the Minutes
• 1.3.2 Review of Action Items
• ..
• Advance Review of the Draft Agenda
• Motions to be made should be considered in
  advance of the meeting. Motions should include
  the motion, motion maker/seconder and the vote on
  the motion (yes, no, abstain, total voting
  membership) when captured for the minutes.

22
Meeting Requirements Notices/Agendas

• INCITS/SD-2, 4.3.3. Meeting Notice and Draft
  AgendaThe meeting notice and draft agenda shall
  be distributed no later than four weeks before
  the meeting.

23
Meeting Requirements Two-Week Rule

• INCITS SD-2, 4.3.4. Documents for Action
  (Two-Week Rule)Documents should be distributed
  at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Project
  Proposals not posted to the Draft agenda two
  weeks prior to the meeting must be acted upon by
  letter ballot or deferred until the next meeting.

24
Meeting Requirements Two-Week Rule

• Documents may be revised during the meeting and
  still be considered to have met the two-week rule
  if the original document met this requirement.
  Note that this provision is intended to provide a
  means for discussing the document and advancing
  the progress of the work, and is not intended to
  permit the introduction of new or orthogonal
  material.

25
Meeting Requirements Two-Week Rule

• Any document, other than a Project Proposal, not
  distributed at least two weeks prior to the
  meeting may be considered, but a meeting vote to
  take action on that document may be taken only in
  the absence of objection by any voting member
  present.

26
Meeting Requirements Two-Week Rule

• This rule shall not be applied to actions
  required to meet International processing
  deadlines when the committee is serving in the
  role of a TAG and the application of the rule
  would result in the TAG responsibilities not
  being fulfilled.

27
Meeting Requirements Minutes

• INCITS SD-2, 4.3.6. Minutes
• INCITS and all INCITS Subgroups, except ad hoc
  groups (see 3.6), are required to produce minutes
  of their meetings. Minutes shall be distributed
  within four weeks after the adjournment of the
  meeting. The required contents of minutes are as
  follows

28
Meeting Requirements Minutes

• a) Date(s), location(s), Chair, Secretary, hour
  of opening and adjournment. b) Summary of
  significant actions taken.
• c) List of all attendees.
• d) Approved agenda (or approved changes to draft
  agenda).
• e) Approval of previous meeting minutes.
• f) Register of documents since last issue of the
  register.
• g) Each motion seconded and not withdrawn,
  identifying maker of the motion, the fact of a
  second, and the voting results.
• h) Future meeting schedule.
• i) List of action items assigned to members.

29
Conducting Ballots and Votes

• Acceptable PositionsYES/NO/ABSTAIN
• Voting Methodsa) Letter ballot (LB)b) Roll call
  vote c) Show of hands d) Voice vote e)
  Unanimous consent
• Taken as meeting votes only.

30
Conducting Ballots and Votes Continued

• Which Method to be Used?INCITS SD-2, Section
  4.4.4specifies the method to be used. If not
  specified in Section 4.4.4 than may be approved
  by a majority using any voting method indicated
  on the previous slide.

31
Conducting Ballots and Votes Continued

• Can a Letter Ballot come out of a Meeting?a)
  Majority vote of those present at a meeting.
• b) The Chair.
• c) The INCITS Secretariat.
• d) INCITS SD-2 mandates a letter ballot.
• e) Written request to the Chair from five or more
  voting members of the INCITS Subgroup.

32
Conducting Ballots and Votes Continued

• Which Criteria to be Used?INCITS SD-2, Section
  4.4.4specifies the criteria to be applied.
  Majority OR Two Thirds Voting Rule

33
Definition of Majority

• For meeting votes, a majority is defined as
  approval by more than half of the members voting
  abstentions are excluded when determining whether
  a majority has been satisfied.
• (Voting Members Attending the Meeting
  Abstenstions)/2
• For letter ballot votes, a majority is defined as
  approval by more than half of the members
  eligible to vote, excluding abstentions.
• (Total Voting Members Abstentions)/2

34
Definition of Two Thirds Voting Rule

• The two-thirds voting rule is defined as approval
  by
• 1)at least a majority of the members eligible to
  vote and
• 2)at least two-thirds of those voting, excluding
  abstentions.
• Note For INCITS TCs and TGs, abstentions are
  excluded when determining whether either of the
  above criteria has been satisfied. In addition,
  the number of affirmative votes shall exceed the
  quorum requirements.

35
Conducting Letter Ballots

• Crafting the motion trully an art form.
• Advance work in determining the final motion can
  be done in a meeting or by ad hoc to develop the
  proposed position.
• In National work the ballot is usually
  straightforward
• Staff will work with Chairs on what is
  appropriate.

36
Conducting Letter Ballots

• Negative votes shall include reasons for the
  negative and, if possible, recommend specific
  modifications necessary to change the negative
  position to an affirmative position.
• Negative and abstention votes cast without reason
  shall be counted as non-responses and may place
  the member in jeopardy for failure to vote.
• For those actions not listed in 4.4.4, the
  duration period shall not be less than thirty
  days. The duration period for all letter ballots
  commences on the date of issue of the letter
  ballot.

37
Officer Responsibilities - Chairman

• Presides at meetings,
• ensures that the Program of Work is carried out
  in a prompt, efficient and effective manner in
  accordance with the objectives, policies and
  procedures of the INCITS/ standards program
• prepares the required reports
• and ensures that the administrative duties are
  fulfilled.
• Note Position of TG Chair appointed by TC Chair.
  Appointment of TC Chairs is made by the INCITS
  Executive Board.

38
Officer Responsibilities Vice Chairman

• In the absence of the chairman, performs the
  duties of the chairman.
• Note Position appointed by Chairman

39
Officer Responsibilities Secretary

• Records and transcribes the meeting minutes.

40
Officer Responsibilities - Training

• Officer Training is offered by the Secretariat
  and is a requirement for the TC Chairs and
  International Representatives appointed at this
  time.
• More detailed review of procedures and
  responsibilities.
• One on one training is available upon request.

41
Legal Issues - Patents

• Call for Patents
• As INCITS subscribes to the ANSI Patent Policy, a
  call for patents and pertinent issues is issued
  now and throughout the development of a project
  to determine if a proposed standard may require
  the use of a patented invention.
• If such notice is received, INCITS seeks a
  statement that the patent holder will comply with
  the ANSI Patent Policy. Please send the statement
  to the INCITS Secretariat at 1250 Eye Street NW,
  Suite 200, Washington DC 20005.

42
Legal Issues - Patents

• ANSI Patent Policy http//www.ansi.org/public/libr
  ary/guides/ppguide.html
• There is no objection in principle to drafting a
  proposed American National Standard in terms that
  include the use of a patented item, if it is
  considered that technical reasons justify this
  approach
• a. - a license will be made available without
  compensation to the applicants desiring to
  utilize the license for the purpose of
  implementing the standard
  
• or
• b. - a license will be made available to
  applicants under reasonable terms and conditions
  that are demonstrably free of any unfair
  discrimination

43
Legal Issues Antitrust

• ITI has antitrust guidelines for all of us to
  follow (see http//www.incits.org/natrust.htm)
• Never discuss the following topics at any INCITS
  or an INCITS subgroup meeting
• Any company's prices or pricing policies
• Specific RD, sales and marketing plans
• Any company's confidential product, product
  development or production strategies
• Whether certain suppliers or customers will be
  served
• Prices paid to input sources or
• Complaints about individual firms or other
  actions that might tend to hinder a competitor in
  any market.

44
Legal Issues

• ANSI Accreditation Is Important because of U.S.
  Antitrust Laws.
• Recent past legal action resulting in
  treble-damage awards include
• "Allied Tubing"
• "Hydrolevel "
• Other actions have an impact on intellectual
  property rights
• "Dell Computer"

45
Appeals Process

• INCITS/SD-2, 5.9

46
Web Resources (Top Ten)

• 10. http//www.incits.org
• 9. http//www.jtc1tag.org
• 8. http//www.techstreet.com/ncits.html
• (Standards for sale new pdfs at 18)
• http//standards.itic.org
• (web access to membership database information)
• http//www.incits.org/officers.htm
• (Link to the INCITS website that provides
  further information on FAQs, links to INCITS
  agendas, ballots, latest tutorials, link to the
  draft ANSDIT)

47
Web Resources (Top Ten) Cont.

• 5. http//www.incits.org/stds_info.htm
• (New projects, standards out for public review,
  published standards)
• 4. http//www.jtc1tag.org/j1ndocs.htm
• (Link to the JTC 1 TAG website that shows all
  JTC 1 Level votes that are currently underway)
• 3. http//www.jtc1tag.org/whatsdue.htm
• (Link to the JTC1 TAG website for U.S. TAG votes
  that are due in your counterpart JTC 1 SC
  activity)
• 2. http//www.incits.org/procedure.htm
• (Link to the INCITS procedures page including
  the INCITS SD-2 and the Latest Issues Listing)

48
Web Resources (Top Ten) Cont.

• 1. http//www.incits.org/staff.htm
• (Staff contact info!!!!)