Contact
QR code for the current URL

Story Box-ID: 53117

W3C Deutsch-Österreichisches Büro Alt-Moabit 91c 10559 St Augustin, Germany http://www.w3c.de
Contact Ms Marie-Claire Forgue +33 4 92 38 75 94
Company logo of W3C Deutsch-Österreichisches Büro
W3C Deutsch-Österreichisches Büro

World Wide Web Consortium Lowers Membership Fee for Organizations in Developing Countries

Initiative Supports International Scope of W3C Work

(PresseBox) (Sankt Augustin, )
In keeping with its international mission to lead the Web to its full potential, W3C today announced a new fee structure designed to reduce the barrier of entry for organizations in developing countries. The goal is to make it easier for small companies and not-for-profit organizations to become W3C Members and become engaged in the development of foundation technologies for the World Wide Web. For small companies and not-for-profit organizations in developing countries, the resulting fees are reduced to between 15 and 60% of former values.

"W3C is all about building Web technologies that can be of service to the world. This new fee structure for organizations from the developing world affirms the value W3C places on their participation in, contribution to and use of the standards and guidelines we are developing to drive the future of the World Wide Web," declared Dr. Steve Bratt, W3C's Chief Operating Officer.

To Develop a World Wide Technology, Diverse Representation is Essential

Technologies such as the Web proliferate to the extent that they are easily available - either because of distribution methods, licensing constraints, hardware and software requirements, or ease of use. Further, standardized technologies built in a flexible manner, with attention to internationalization needs (languages and/or infrastructure) can have dramatic impact on life, education and commerce in a given region.

However, one of the greatest obstacles for participation in large consortia is the cost of entry. What appears to be a reasonable membership fee in Western Europe, Japan, or North America is prohibitive in other parts of the world. While W3C does embrace participation from individuals as Invited Experts, the Consortium realized that more was necessary to engage organizations around the globe.

W3C's New Fee Structure Tailored to Local Economies, Encourages Broader Participation

This initiative, focused on regions of the world beginning to discover Web technologies, is only the most recent in W3C's international commitments. Through its technical Internationalization Activity, volunteer-based translation program, its fourteen Offices around the globe, as well as its Patent Policy, W3C can better meet the needs and requirements of diverse populations, and can help those regions develop sound, standards-based Web infrastructure.

Building on its broadly recognized work for the development of a global infrastructure, W3C is actively soliciting participation from organizations in the developing world, with help from its own Members, government and NGOs, philanthropic organizations, and its extensive global Offices network, which is also expanding into the developing world. For more information on joining W3C, please consult the "Join W3C" documentation.

About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]

The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, over 350 organizations are Members of the Consortium. For more information see http://www.w3.org

W3C Deutsch-Österreichisches Büro

Das World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ist ein internationales Konsortium, in dem Mitgliedsorganisationen, ein Stab von Vollzeitmitarbeitern und die Öffentlichkeit gemeinsam daran arbeiten, Web-Standards zu entwickeln. W3C verfolgt seine Ziele hauptsächlich durch die Erstellung von Web-Standards und Richtlinien, die ein langfristiges Wachstum des Web sicherstellen sollen. Über 400 Organisationen sind Mitglieder des Konsortiums. W3C wird gemeinsam vom MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in den USA, der European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) mit Sitz in Frankreich und der Keio University in Japan geführt und hat darüber hinaus ein Weltweites Netz von W3C-Büros. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter http://www.w3.org/

The publisher indicated in each case (see company info by clicking on image/title or company info in the right-hand column) is solely responsible for the stories above, the event or job offer shown and for the image and audio material displayed. As a rule, the publisher is also the author of the texts and the attached image, audio and information material. The use of information published here is generally free of charge for personal information and editorial processing. Please clarify any copyright issues with the stated publisher before further use. In case of publication, please send a specimen copy to service@pressebox.de.
Important note:

Systematic data storage as well as the use of even parts of this database are only permitted with the written consent of unn | UNITED NEWS NETWORK GmbH.

unn | UNITED NEWS NETWORK GmbH 2002–2024, All rights reserved

The publisher indicated in each case (see company info by clicking on image/title or company info in the right-hand column) is solely responsible for the stories above, the event or job offer shown and for the image and audio material displayed. As a rule, the publisher is also the author of the texts and the attached image, audio and information material. The use of information published here is generally free of charge for personal information and editorial processing. Please clarify any copyright issues with the stated publisher before further use. In case of publication, please send a specimen copy to service@pressebox.de.