Andrea de Vos TM Forum Legal outlined the proposed approach which leverage the concepts used in the TMF IPR and licensing approach but adapted to the current MSDO situation.
The key points are:
TMF role is to act in role of facilitator
Simple on off contract, unbranded, that can be used by the participating authors in each work package. Not TM Forum document. TM forum is offering to draft.
Replicates some of copyright structures based on TMF IPR policy concepts with language tweaked to meet the needs of this project initiative.
Create boundaries in contract to make sure no contribution of patentable material and some waiver on contributed material containing patentable material.
Work Package particpants would assign copyright to TM Forum and TM Forum would license back to particpants ( and others). to allow for example storage distribution publishing and derived works.
TM Forum would be a sort of Hub and spoke.
Efficient for us to use TMF Forum our corporate language but not our IPR.
Need to keep short and simple.
Mostlyconcerned with copyright and license.
No intend to put burden on contribution.
Leaves room for major contributing participant to publish first under own branding.
Need to have right license scope and limitations.
Interest to hear if that could generally work.
Questions
Q: Ranganai Would help to understand how IPR framework could be exercised for second paper by IEEE If IEEE want to publish on IEEE website and IEEE documents before other would this be covered?
A: Proposal duplicates legal language used in TM Forum but doesn't extend to branding of paper.
Just need have correct licensing in place and clarity on licensing terms.
If under IEEE banner firstmention IEEEauthor. The other way separate from copyright Licenses e.g could Handled with languageindeliverablerecognizing authors.
Q: Need to understand the process and mode of contribution into SDO
A:Tmforum as a starting point copyright ownership remains with individual authors in their capacity role wrt to the SDO they represent TM Forum would license bask out to other participants to make derivative works.
Goals are to avoid changing governance and processes in individual SDO
Also we think
the copyright license can be extended to others that were not authors/ participants ( recommended facilitating maximum uptake.)
Admin Operational issues
Initial thinking is that signed up participates would be able to upload word versionsto theworking space ratherthan allow confluence on line editing as this will keep better track of contributions and avoid no participant material being included.
Open discussion
3GPP provides a contribution S5.214514 with some recommendations
Summary
Mainly focused on Letter of Intent
SA5 happy to continue to collaborate on Harmonizeddefinitions.
should be each SDOdecision on adopting the material.
SA5 does not know how to handle joint document.
Think and approach to prior TM Forum 3GPP similar to Fixed mobile collaboration might work ( see later for description).
Checked with MSCC leadership for guidance.
Because 3GPP not a legalentity and composed of organizationPartners (OP) thereis no one who can sign formal agreement.
constructive approach identified
If there is a proposal for a agreementLinked to Letter of Intent or joint documents the process is:
SA5 needs to review and provide recommendation
SA5 cannot agree but recommendation comments have to go to OP meeting ( legal meeting only every six months)
Next one end of October week after next Sa5
If we can send a proposal in response the LS S5.214514 before 11th Sept October it can then be forwarded to OP meeting to look at
This suggest we have a target to hit which will help drive us to a conclusion.
Dave summarized
Participant agreement to ensure inbound IPR is clean.
Proposals needs to be written and process needs to be clear.
Will be more difficult if there are standard alone documents.
Thomas reviewed the prior TMF 3GPP 5G mobile cooperation.
Worked on temporary docs as contributions to joint meetings.
Temporary doc were created by member company or a leader contribution as input for discussion
Never published temporary documents as approved or agreed.
Informal gentleman's agreement was that when the temporary documents were okay they took their own temporary documents back to bothSA5 and TM Forum.
No formal publicationsother than those produced as 3GPP SA5 TM Forum publications
technicalcontent aligned but not identicaltext
Could be that for MSDO that the joint documents remainon workspace, and we could choose not to publish other than via SDOs.
Anything which is a contribution my have an IPR issue.
Assisted by having members working in both organizations.
Operation procedure mode of working
Seems we need some operational procedures in place we could indicate whether we openly publish
Thomas noted for example if joint work compared SDO definitions of say AN. then if someone wanted to propose a comprise definition then you have createdsomething new and may have an IPR issue.
Timeline discussion
Ideal if TM Forum gets draft IPR /PA and Copyright and license agreement out by 1st Oct with a view to getting into SA5'.s next meeting on 19th Oct.
Need an operational practice agreement for MSDO meeting on the 27th Sept 2021
Ranganai mentioned that objective of MSDO proposal is about consuming joint paper work whereas prior work in Fix /Mobile was more about creating the standards.