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Do you have to qualify to become an OASIS member?
Any company, organization or individual who would benefit by representation in the Consortium is eligible for membership.
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What kind of organizations are OASIS members?
Members of OASIS are providers, users, implementers, influencers, and specialists of the technologies that make structured information standards work. Collectively, OASIS represents those with a serious stake in XML and other structured information standards.
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What is the difference between Sponsors and Contributors?
OASIS Sponsors receive a variety of exclusive promotional benefits. Their logos are featured on the OASIS home page and in the OASIS booth. Only Sponsors can be quoted or mentioned in OASIS press releases and listed on Consortium data sheets. We encourage all who can, to become Sponsors and better support our efforts to drive adoption of our Standards.
Foundational Sponsors receive all the benefits of Sponsors plus the additional recognition of sponsoring OASIS events and full site sponsorship for Cover Pages.
To determine the appropriate level of membership for your organization, see categories and dues.
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May I join OASIS as an individual?
OASIS offers Individual- and Associate-level membership to those whose technical contributions merit and require subsidy by OASIS organizational members. Individual- and Associate-level membership is primarily intended to accommodate self-employed consultants and those involved in unaffiliated research. Individuals may participate in OASIS committee work; however, they are ineligible to vote on OASIS Standards and Board elections, their employers are not referenced or identified in any way, and their membership is non-transferable.
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If I am employed by an OASIS member organization, what do I need to do to participate
As an employee of an OASIS member organization, you may take advantage of all the benefits of participation without any additional cost—even if you work in a different department or location than your organization's Primary Contact. See participation instructions for more information.
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What do I need to know before applying for membership?
Organizations or individuals considering OASIS membership should review the OASIS Policies and Procedures. These documents provide valuable insight into how the Consortium operates and detail the rights and requirements of members.
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Who needs to sign the Membership Agreement?
The Primary Contact for each organization joining at the Foundational Sponsor, Sponsor, or Contributor level is responsible for having the OASIS Membership Agreement signed by a person with signature authority for his or her organization. Additional employees participate through this single Agreement. Individual members may sign on their own behalf, provided they are unaffiliated persons not obligated by an implicit or implied employment agreement under which they have assigned ownership of their intellectual property (IP) to another party (as is typical for many employment agreements and some consulting contracts). A person whose IP is obligated by an employment agreement and who is unable to join at the Foundational Sponsor, Sponsor, or Contributor level may join OASIS as an Associate (receiving the same benefits as an Individual); however, the employer's appropriate designee must sign the Membership Agreement signifying agreement to the OASIS IPR Policy.
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What are OASIS Member Sections?
An OASIS Member Section (MS) refers to an established group of consortium members who share a common interest in an industry or technology. OASIS Member Sections are governed by their own Steering Committees, which report to the OASIS Board of Directors. Current OASIS Member Sections include CGM Open, IDtrust, LegalXML, Open CSA and Telecom.
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Do I need to join a Member Section?
Affiliation with an OASIS MS is completely optional. All Members of OASIS are eligible to participate in all Committees without restriction. OASIS members need not select a MS in order to participate in OASIS Committees affiliated with the MS, nor does selecting a MS restrict involvement to the work of the specified MS. Members are encouraged to select an OASIS MS affiliation if they would find benefit from 1) being identified as an supporter of the work 2) voting in MS ballots, e.g., MS Steering Committee elections, and 3) assuming a significant role in advancing the work of the MS. Organizations may fund the work of some Member Sections (but not all) by allocating of a portion of their usual OASIS dues. Members may indicate affiliation with a MS on their Member Applications or by sending an email request to member-services@oasis-open.org at any time. See the OASIS Member Section Overview for more details.
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Do I have to commit a specified amount of time or resources?
OASIS does not impose any time or resource commitments on Consortium membership. We recognize that members' ability to contribute to OASIS activities varies greatly—over time and between organizations. OASIS members themselves determine how many people and how much time they are able to devote to open standards development and adoption.
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What is required to participate in an OASIS Committee?
Membership in OASIS Committees is regulated to insure voting participants remain active and involved. To maintain voting status on a Committee, participants must meet minimum requirements as described in the OASIS Technical Committee Process. Those unable to meet these requirements may choose to participate as Committee Observers.
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Are face-to-face meetings mandatory?
OASIS hosts several general member meetings each year in order to communicate information of interest to the entire Consortium, encourage networking between members and facilitate collaboration between Committees. Attendance at these general member meetings is beneficial but not mandatory.
OASIS Committee work is accomplished via email, teleconference and/or face-to-face meetings. Each Committee determines the best mode and schedule for its meetings, accommodating the limitations of members from around the globe to the greatest extent possible. Meeting requirements are clearly published in the Charter section of each Committee's web pages and are applied universally to all participants of the Committee.
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Do I have to join an OASIS Committee in order to attend its meetings?
Members of OASIS may attend any Committee meeting as an official or unofficial Observer; specific Committee membership is not required. Observers may not provide verbal or written comments, however, unless they agree to the Committee's Feedback License. To exercise voting rights in a Committee, you must join that Committee as a Member, and participate regularly in meetings. Non-OASIS members may attend Committee meetings only by invitation of the Committee chair.
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Who votes on OASIS Standards and elections for Board of Directors?
Only OASIS organizational members (those at the Foundational Sponsor, Sponsor, or Contributor level) are eligible to vote on official Consortium business, e.g., OASIS Standards and Board of Directors elections. Each organization casts one vote. The official Voting Contact for each organization is designated by the member company and may be changed at any time.
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What payment options does OASIS offer?
OASIS accepts payment by credit card, check or wire transfer. Organizations wishing to join at the Foundational Sponsor, Sponsor or Contributor level may submit a purchase order and/or billing information with their application. OASIS will issue an invoice and activate the membership for 30 days pending the receipt of payment. Organizations outside the US may wire the fee, rather than acquire a check drawn on a US bank. Wire transfer information will be provided on the OASIS invoice.
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Is there a special category of membership for government agencies?
OASIS greatly values participation from the public sector, and our member list includes more than 60 national and local government agencies from around the world. These agencies choose to join OASIS at the Foundational Sponsor, Sponsor or Contributor level in the dues category that matches their size. To enable the widest possible representation, OASIS also provides a special Contributor-level dues category for national government agencies from countries that are not OECD members and for all local government agencies. See annual dues and the datasheet, OASIS in the Public Sector, for more information.
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Can an organization or individual upgrade their membership status in the middle of the year?
Yes, membership can be upgraded at any time, and the cost will be pro-rated based on the renewal date.
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What are the official contact roles members may hold within OASIS?
All members are required to designate a Primary Contact to the Consortium. Organizations are also encouraged to register additional contacts to serve in official capacities. Roles and responsibilities include:
Primary—executive-level contact responsible for your organization's overall participation, e.g. joining and renewing, TC representation, etc., and for evangelizing the work of OASIS within your organization to ensure your participation meets your strategic needs.
Voting—designate is authorized to cast ballots on behalf of the organization on Consortium-level matters, e.g., OASIS Standards, Board elections, etc. Your Primary Contact will automatically be designated as your Voting Contact unless otherwise requested.
Admin—designate is authorized to manage your employee participation (add/edit/delete). Your Primary Contact will automatically be designated as your Admin unless otherwise requested.
Billing—designate is authorized to receive membership dues invoices. Your Primary Contact will automatically be designated as your Billing Contact unless otherwise requested.
Employee—general designation for all employees participating under your Sponsor or Contributor membership. It allows full participation in any OASIS Technical Committee.
Marketing—optional designation for an individual responsible for coordinating marketing opportunities for your organization.
Public Relations—optional designation for an individual responsible for coordinating PR-related opportunities for your organization.
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May I participate in OASIS as a representative of an Association?
Organizations are encouraged to involve as many employees as they choose in as many OASIS Committees as they wish. If an Association or trade group joins OASIS but does not employ staff suitable for participation, it may request permission to designate a limit of two representatives from its membership. These representatives must participate in OASIS on behalf of the Association and not their employers. Companies are expressly prohibited from seeking corporate access to OASIS benefits through membership in another organization.
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When does the OASIS membership calendar begin? When will my renewal payment be due?
OASIS does not impose a pre-determined membership calendar on all participants. Your Organizational (or Individual) membership extends for one year from the time you join OASIS, thus your renewal date will coincide with the anniversary of your joining. Two months before your membership is scheduled for renewal, your Primary or designated Billing Contact will receive an invoice from OASIS. If you should need to change your renewal date to accommodate your corporate budget cycle, contact member-services@oasis-open.org for options.
