W3C CONSORTIUM OFFICE AGREEMENT

This Agreement made as of _______________ ("Effective Date") is entered into between the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, or ERCIM ("W3C Host") on behalf of the World Wide Web Consortium ("W3C") and ____________________________ (Name of Member) a W3C Member ("the W3C Office Member") for the purpose of establishing and maintaining an activity ("the W3C Office") within _______________________  ("the Office Region") to promote participation in W3C activities among regional organizations and to disseminate W3C results within the Office Region, as described below.

WHEREAS, the W3C Office Member is a Member in good standing of W3C and wishes to further its participation in W3C by performing certain related services and engaging in certain related activities in furthering W3C activities within the Office Region; and

WHEREAS, W3C Host, as a host organization for W3C wishes to enter into a relationship with the W3C Office Member for assistance in establishing and maintaining a more local presence for and among W3C members in the Office Region;

NOW THEREFORE, W3C Host and the W3C Office Member hereby agree as follows:

Article 1. Purpose of Agreement

The purpose of this Agreement is to appoint and designate the W3C Office Member as the organization solely and exclusively responsible for establishing and maintaining certain activities in the Office Region relating to the promotion and dissemination of W3C results within the Office Region.

The activities to be undertaken by the W3C Office Member under this Agreement shall be as further described in Article 4 of this Agreement and taken together shall constitute the operation of a W3C Office by the W3C Office Member.

The requirements and constraints agreed in the W3C Member Agreement signed by the W3C Office Member also apply with regard to the operation of the W3C Office.

Article 2. Term of Agreement

The Term of this Agreement shall commence upon the Effective Date and shall extend for a period of three (3) years unless sooner terminated by the following events.

  1. This Agreement shall terminate upon the termination of the W3C Office Member's membership in the W3C unless W3C agrees to the continuation.
  2. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon ninety (90) days notice.
  3. This Agreement will terminate if an acceptable program of activities for the first Agreement year has not been agreed within 60 days of the Effective Date.

Upon the end of the initial three-year term of this Agreement, an extension or renewal of the Term from year to year shall be by mutual written agreement of the parties.

Article 3. Terms of Payment

  1. A program of activities must be agreed with the W3C Head of Offices at the start of each year, commencing with the Effective Date (see also Article 4).
  2. As its contribution in support of the operations of the W3C Office, W3C Host agrees that it shall also remit to the W3C Office Member twenty percent (20%) of the fees paid to W3C Host from the W3C members within the Office Region for each year of their membership in the W3C which commences during the term of this agreement ("Qualified Member Fees").
  3. No later than thirty (30) days after January 1 and July 1 of each year, the W3C Host shall notify the W3C Office Member as to the Qualified Member Fees received from Office Region members during the preceding six months ("Payment Period").
  4. The W3C Office Member shall invoice the W3C Host for an amount which is 20% of the total Qualified Member Fees reported by the W3C Host for each Payment Period. Payments shall be made to the W3C Office Member by the W3C Host within thirty (30) days of its receipt of invoice.
  5. In the event this Agreement is terminated, provisions 3.c and 3.d shall continue in operation until all Qualified Members Fees have been received by the W3C Host.
  6. For purposes of this payment clause, W3C members qualifying as W3C Office members under this Agreement shall be those W3C members who are domiciled with a "home address" in the Office Region and who have paid membership fees for the Payment Year.
  7. W3C shall organize a face to face meeting of all the Office representatives once a year. Costs of this meeting are covered by one of the W3C hosts, including the travel and hotel expenses of one representative per office. Travel arrangements must be in accordance with the travel policy of the Host covering the funding.

Article 4. Obligations of the W3C Office Member

The W3C Office Member shall undertake the following obligations as a part of its W3C Office activities in fulfillment of this Agreement:

  1. The W3C Office shall organize activities within the Office Region to promote the activities of W3C and to demonstrate the tools developed by the W3C.
  2. The W3C Office will arrange for translation into the Office Region language or languages of texts provided by the W3C. The need for such translations will be decided by the W3C Office Member and W3C jointly.
  3. The W3C Office will provide a forum for W3C members in the Office Region.
  4. The W3C Office Member will maintain a permanently staffed office within the Office Region to carry out its activities under this Agreement and for the convenience of the W3C members in the Office Region.
  5. The W3C Office Member will appoint, subject to approval of the W3C Head of Offices, an Office Manager as the main contact between the W3C Head of Offices and the W3C Office. The W3C Office will supply 30 days notice of its intention to appoint a new Office Manager.

Guidelines shall be issued by the W3C, from time to time, in coordination with the W3C Office. The W3C Office Member is expected ensure that the W3C Office adheres to these guidelines.

Article 5. Obligations of W3C Host

In addition to its obligations to make payments as provided in Article 3 above, the W3C Host shall inform the W3C Office Member of any occurrence or decision which may have consequences on the performances of services by the W3C Office Member under this Agreement. In particular:

  1. The W3C Office Member will be informed when new W3C Members join the Office Region and the expiration date of their W3C member agreement.
  2. The W3C Office Member will be informed when a W3C Members in the Office Region leaves W3C.
  3. The W3C Office Member will be informed in advance of W3C activities taking place in its Office Region.

Article 6. Intellectual Property, Use of W3C Results and Notice Requirements

The W3C Office Member confirms that it is aware of the intellectual property, use of results, including but not limited to software distribution, and required notice terms and conditions of the W3C Consortium Agreement which it has signed as a Member of the W3C ("Member Agreement"). The parties agree that the Intellectual Property Rights, use, and distribution provisions (including required notices) of the Member Agreement shall control all technical content, including computer code, and translations developed by the W3C Office Member in carrying out its obligations under this Agreement and that nothing in this Agreement shall in any way be construed or applied in a manner contrary to or inconsistent with the terms of the Member Agreement.

Article 7. Limitations of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranties

Neither party shall be liable for the acts of the other in carrying out this Agreement and, specifically, but not by way of limitation, neither party shall be responsible for the legal, financial or any other obligation entered into by the other in performing this Agreement.

Article 8. Notices and Non-Use of Names

  1. Any notices required to be given or which shall be given under this Agreement shall be in writing delivered by first class mail (air mail if not domestic) or by certified or registered mail addressed to the parties as defined by the W3C Host and shall be deemed to have been given or made as of the date received.
  2. The W3C Office Member shall not use the name of the W3C Host or the name of the W3C Consortium in any form of publicity or advertising without the prior written approval of the W3C Host. The W3C Consortium and the W3C Host will provide the W3C Office Member with appropriate direction as to the content of materials for the purpose of describing to the public and to other W3C Members the functions and responsibilities of the W3C Office Member.

Article 9. Force Majeure

Neither party shall be responsible to the other for failure to perform any of the obligations imposed by this Agreement, provided such failure shall be occasioned by fire, flood, explosion, lightning, windstorm, earthquake, subsidence of soil, failure or destruction, in whole or in part, of machinery or equipment or failure of supply of materials, discontinuity in the supply of power, governmental interference, civil commotion, riot, war, strikes, labor disturbance, transportation difficulties, labor shortage or any cause beyond the reasonable control of the party.

Article 10. Assignment

This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and the successors to substantially the entire business and assets of the respective parties hereto. This Agreement shall not be assignable by either party without the prior written consent of the party, any attempted assignment is void.

Article 11. Governing Law

The validity and interpretation of this Agreement and the legal relationship of the parties to it shall be governed by the laws of the W3C Host country of domicile.

Article 12. Entire Agreement

Except as otherwise specified hereinabove, this Agreement, together with the Member Agreement and the W3C Consortium Office Start-up Funding Agreement (if any), embodies the entire understanding between the W3C Host and the W3C Office Member with respect to the Member's establishing and operating of the Region Office and supersedes any prior or contemporaneous representations, either oral or written entered into by the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. No amendments or changes to this Agreement shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by authorized representatives of the parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be signed by their duly authorized representatives, effective as of the day and year first written above.

_________________(W3C Office Member)

By: ______________________________

Title: ____________________________

Date: ____________________________


European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (W3C Host)

By: ____________________________

Title: __________________________

Date: __________________________


Last revised: $Date: 2002/12/03 14:10:42 $, by: $Author: ddardai $, $Revision: 1.3 $