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What is the organizational, membership and fee structure of Kantara Initiative? How does this differ from other industry organizations?
Kantara Initiative is unique in that it has been organized to ensure that there are zero barriers to participation, which means all individuals and organizations are able to participate in the development of Kantara Initiative output. Kantara Initiative membership fees have been established to keep the organization financially stable over the short and long-term and to ensure the widest possible participation - at all levels - among the vendor, deployer, developer, open source, legal and privacy communities. Kantara Initiative membership levels and fees are outlined at INSERT LINK.
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Is Kantara Initiative a Standards Setting Organization?
Kantara Initiative is not a standards setting organization for technical specifications. The output of Kantara Initiative is called a Recommendation. Any kind of work can be done in Kantara Initiative but if the work is a technical specification it must be submitted to an SSO upon completion. Other "standards" work such as Operational Frameworks or Usability Guidelines or Interoperability Testing Procedures are the primary focus of Kantara Initiative and will be both developed and maintained by the organization.
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Why does Kantara Initiative have multiple IPR Policies?
Due to the nature of Kantara Initiative, as a focal point for collaboration between stakeholders across the Venn of Identity, we have chosen an IPR regime that is inclusive. There is a list of pre-approved IPR Policies that founders of a Work Group can choose from. In addition, there is a clear process for proposing a new IPR Policy to the Leadership Council in a WG proposal which will be taken to the Board of Trustees for approval. We have every expectation the list of IPR Policies will grow as the community takes advantage of the Kantara Initiative infrastructure for collaboration. A link to Kantara Initiative IPR policies is available at INSERT LINK.
What Commitment Must I make To Get Involved in Kantara Initiative?
There are various levels of involvement. You can join Discussion Groups with no commitment. If you wish to join a Work Group you need only agree to the IPR Policy being used by that Work Group.
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How can so many organizations work together effectively?
The organizations and members coming together within Kantara Initiative understand the urgency involved in eliminating market fragmentation among multiple identity specifications and fostering interoperability between enterprise and Web 2.0 applications and services. The Kantara Initiative membership model will provide the flexibility and organizational support required to ensure maximum collaboration among experts and projects leads that will lead to speeding deliverables to the marketplace. Additionally, since different IPR models are available for the projects to choose from as they charter, this model supports the different ways that members might want to operate depending on the type of work they are doing.
What are the benefits to participating organizations and individuals?
Collaboration between enterprise and Web communities within Kantara Initiative will make it easier to leverage the work of each other, leading to the creation of holistic identity solutions that are delivered to the market faster. Organizations and individuals joining Kantara Initiative have an opportunity to shape the future of digital Identity management - from conception and incubation of a project, participating in the final vote on projects, to supporting short and long-term adoption strategies.
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