Restoring a Rescinded Recommendation Comments

From Revising W3C Process Community Group

Comment

6.9 Obsoleting or Rescinding a W3C Recommendation
 It should be possible for the Director restore a Rescinded
 Recommendation. We cannot predict the future. Suppose the
 Director rescinded a Recommendation because of a patent issue
 but then that patent is invalidated. We might want to restore
 the Recommendation. The Patent Policy says:
   "If the Recommendation is rescinded by W3C, then no new licenses
   need be granted but any licenses granted before the Recommendation
   was rescinded shall remain in effect."
 I believe that allows room to restore a Rescinded Recommendation
 and get new licenses.
 Discussion
 CMN: I agree here too, although it *feels* different. But the process is in 
 all cases the same - an AC review, and subsequent Director's decision.
 I note that since W3C has never rescinded a Recommendation this is somewhat theoretical.
 Also, I believe the Patent Policy implications are clear - a commitment 
 was made to a document, should that document be published as a Recommendation. 
 By Restoring the Recommendation the condition is once more fulfilled, and 
 new licenses are granted.
 I wanted to call that out, before people reacted to the different 
 feeling and suggested this was a different thing in practice.
 DS: I don’t think reversing a rescinsion is that easy at all.  
 We may, as a community, have taken steps consequent on something 
 being rescinded and knowing it can’t get new licenses.  The licensors 
 may have taken steps knowing that they cannot be asked to grant new 
 licenses.  And so on.
 I fear reversing rescinsion is not as simple as reversing obsoletion.
 Deferred