This document communicates the type of content permitted on the W3C public annotation test service, the copyright and persistence policies of that content, and the privacy policy associated with this service.
Purpose of the service: Our goal is to provide a prototypical annotation service that allows the Web public to experience and evaluate the use of shared annotations and encourages the deployment of their own annotations services targeted for specific groups and domains. This annotation service demonstrates the use of shared annotations by permitting users to contribute and consume annotations on Web documents. It also demonstrates the use of RDF based metadata technology.
Scope of the annotations: Authors are encouraged to publish annotations that pertain to W3C related work, such as Internet and Web specifications including documents (specifications and guidelines), software, activity charters, discussion lists, and research documents. In addition, authors may publish annotations that demonstrate the value of the technology for other domains, when considering to start their own annotation service. Authors should not publish any illegal, defamatory, offensive, or advertising annotations on a W3C annotation service.
Lifetime for annotations: The public service is intended solely for testing the technology and may be suspended at any time. No commitment is made to retain annotations indefinitely; annotations will be removed from the service when they reach an expiration threshold that has not yet been determined.
Editorial integrity of annotations: The content of an annotation will not be altered by W3C, though it too may be annotated or discussed.
Editorial control of annotations: Annotations will be removed when (1) it expires and/or (2) if it is considered to be out of scope. Otherwise, the W3C will make no other content based decisions regarding the retention of annotations. Additionally, the W3C may remove or retain content as required by law.
User groups: Everyone can read annotations stored in this service. Anyone with an acceptable access id and password can post new annotations to the service. The following user groups have acceptable id's : (1) users with existing W3C member access password and identification, and 2) anyone with e-mail address that obtained a temporary identification from W3C id server.
User responsibilities: The quality of content (including its accuracy, timeliness, and legality) are the sole responsibility of its author. The service and all annotations are covered by the W3C Disclaimers and Liabilities. For the purposes of this service, clause six, "6. W3C has not reviewed any or all of the web sites linked to" is extended to cover the annotations within the service itself.
Copyright: Users retain the copyright of their annotation. However, the act of contributing an annotation is an assent to the W3C Corrections, Modifications, Patches, Contributions document. Particularly:
W3C( MIT, INRIA, Keio) is hereby permitted to distribute these materials under W3C Software and Document licenses. Furthermore:
- The Contributor vouches that she has all rights necessary to contribute the materials in a way that does not violate copyright, patent, and trademark rights; contractual obligations, or libel and export control* regulations.
- The Contributor agrees that all contributed materials will be governed by the W3C Software or Document licenses.
- W3C will retain attribution of authorship. The W3C makes no a-priori commitment to support contributions.
Privacy Policy:The privacy policy of users of the W3C Annotation Service is the Public W3C Privacy Statement. The following qualifications to the Public Privacy Statement are made with respect to authors.