Policies & legal information

W3C has established a framework of policies and legal documents governing every aspect of making Web standards, and using the W3C website.

Information is listed alphabetically up till the Disclaimers at the bottom.

Antitrust and competition policy

Please take the opportunity to review our antitrust and competition policy.

Code of conduct

W3C is a global community where participants choose to work together in a Positive Work Environment.

See the Code of conduct.

Conflict of Interest Policy for the W3C Team

The Conflict of Interest Policy for the W3C Team sets to avoid any conflict of interest between a W3C Team member and organizations other than W3C with which the Team member may be associated by identifying which outside professional relationships Team members may engage in, and approval procedures as well as disclosure mechanisms.

W3C offers several licenses depending on the nature of the material, and whether derivative works are permitted.

See the copyrights page.

Corporation

W3C is an international public-interest non-profit organization.

See the Corporation page (Board of Directors, Bylaws and Documents of the Corporation, Financials.)

E-mail, Mailing Lists

W3C hosts thousands of mailing lists for our group members and the general public to discuss and send feedback on Web standards work.

Please consult our information on email and our Mailing Lists policy.

External contributions

The W3C External contributions policy governs the cases where W3C Working Groups receive reviews or input from parties who are not participants in the Working Groups.

External funding

W3C is principally a Member funded organization. It generally receives approximately 70-80% of its funding from Member dues, with the rest coming from all other sources including Sponsorships, education programs, donations, and government funded programs.

The parameters and practices for externally funded programs are described in the External Funding policy.

W3C makes available a number of logos for technologies it produces as well as for W3C as an organization, for W3C Members, and a few others. We invite you to use the logos to show your support.

There are a few conditions for using specific logos outlined in our Logos and icons policy.

Non-Disclosure Agreements and W3C meetings

Refer to our Policy regarding Non-Disclosure Agreements and W3C meetings.

Patent policy

In May 2003, W3C Members approved adoption of a Patent Policy. In February 2004, W3C adopted a Patent Policy to enable continued innovation and widespread adoption of Web standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. The W3C Patent Policy governs the handling of patents in the process of producing Web Standards. The goal of this policy is to assure that Recommendations produced under this policy can be implemented on a Royalty-Free (RF) basis. See the Patent Policy FAQ for additional information.

Privacy policy

The W3C Privacy policy sets expectations about how W3C will make use of information gathered during the course of your interactions with our Web site. W3C works to ensure that people can interact with the site with confidence. Please find below information about the W3C Intellectual Rights Notice, Legal Disclaimers, and more.

Process Document

The W3C Process Document describes the organizational structure of W3C and processes, responsibilities and functions that enable W3C to develop common protocols that promote the Web's evolution and ensure its interoperability.

Trademarks

W3C trademarks and logos are governed by the trademark license. There are also some additional usage policies for some logos, such as the W3C logo usage policies.

URI persistence policy

When information is made available on the Web, it is important for the integrity of the Web, and the society based upon it, that the URIs used to reference information be used well into the future, and that the information persist as identified.

Read in W3C's URI persistence policy, written in 1999 by Web founder and W3C founder Tim Berners-Lee, the pledge we made for persistent resources declared on the www.w3.org website.

Disclaimers

The materials contained in the Site may be downloaded or copied provided that ALL copies retain the copyright and any other proprietary notices contained on the materials. No material may be modified, edited or taken out of context such that its use creates a false or misleading statement or impression as to the positions, statements or actions of W3C.

The name and trademarks of copyright holders may NOT be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to the Web site, its content, specifications, or software without specific, written prior permission. Title to copyright in Web site documents will at all times remain with copyright holders. Use of W3C trademarks and service marks is covered by the W3C Trademark and Servicemark License.

Reporting Copyright Infringement

If you are or represent a copyright owner and material on Web Platform Docs infringes your copyrights, you may file a notification of claimed infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

A notification of claimed infringement must be a written communication that includes:

  • A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
  • Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  • Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material— the page URL, including a more specific reference if only a portion of the page is claimed to be infringing.
  • Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
  • A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  • A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Notifications of claimed infringement may be sent by email to [email protected].

If you knowingly misrepresent that material or activity is infringing, you may be subject to liability for damages.

Repeat Infringers

It is site policy to terminate, in appropriate circumstances, the accounts of repeat infringers.