10/8/13
`
`W3C and WAP Forum Establish Formal Liaison Relationship
`
`
`
`World Wide Web Consortium and
`Wireless Application Protocol Forum
`Establish Formal Liaison Relationship
`Industry Bodies Work Together to Create Future
`Mobile-Friendly Web Specifications
`
`W3C Contacts --
`North America: Janet Daly, <janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884
`Europe: Josef Dietl, <jdietl@w3.org>, +33.4.92.38.79.72
`Asia: Yuko Watanabe, <yuko@w3.org>, +81.466.49.1170
`WAP Forum Contacts --
`Luisa Handem; WAP Forum Office <Luisahandem@msn.com>,
`+1.972.506.9687
`David Nieland, Group Manager <dnieland@bsmg.com>, +1.972.830.2663
`
`(also available in Japanese)
`
`http://www.w3.org/ -- 8 December 1999 -- The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
`and the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum (www.wapforum.org) today
`announced a formal liaison relationship to define next-generation Web specifications
`that support the full participation of wireless devices on the World Wide Web. The
`WAP Forum and W3C are working together to develop a common process of
`producing next-generation, XML-based Web specifications, define testing and
`implementation processes, and promote these specifications to the industry at large.
`
`W3C develops open, interoperable specifications that reinforce and extend the
`scalability, robustness and capability of the Web as a universal communications
`medium. WAP is the de-facto global standard for providing Internet communications
`and advanced telephony services on digital mobile phones, pagers, personal digital
`assistants and other wireless terminals. By working together, the WAP Forum and the
`W3C will enable wireless devices to participate as full peers in the universal
`information space of the Web, largely through the incorporation of WAP's Wireless
`Markup Language (WML) features into the W3C's XHTML, the next generation markup
`language for the Web.
`
`Coordination between the two bodies began this week in Sydney, Australia, in
`conjunction with the WAP Forum's members meeting. The WAP/W3C coordination
`committee will meet on a regular basis to maintain consistency between the
`www.w3.org/1999/12/W3C-WAP-CG-pr.html.en
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`Petitioner Apple Inc. - Ex. 1038, p. 1
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`10/8/13
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`W3C and WAP Forum Establish Formal Liaison Relationship
`specifications of the WAP Forum and the W3C, to promote common specifications
`wherever possible, and to enable cooperation between the working groups in both
`organizations. Work items include the joint work on XHTML; compatibility with SMIL,
`the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language; ensuring user control over privacy
`information, and CC/PP, a universal device profiling protocol based on W3C's RDF
`Metadata technology. The two organizations are also conducting a joint workshop in
`position-dependent information services, to be held in February 2000 in Sophia-
`Antipolis, France.
`
`Together, WAP Forum and W3C will face the technical challenge of mobile access to
`information on the Web. The two organizations will coordinate on the future
`development of XML applications; and in content adaptation through the use of vector
`graphics and style sheets. Instead of developing diverging sets of solutions, it is the
`intent of both organizations to find common solutions that will address mobile
`requirements.
`
`"The W3C regards the Web as a universal space, and device-independence is a
`critical piece. Recognizing the needs of digital cellular phones and other portable
`devices, and incorporating those considerations into the development of Web
`specifications is critical for the Web's success," says Tim Berners-Lee, Director of
`W3C. "Our liaison relationship with the WAP Forum will work towards the seamless
`integration of mobile devices and the Web."
`
`"Our liaison relationship with the W3C represents the key to WAP's convergence with
`the Internet of the future," says Greg Williams, board chairman of the WAP Forum.
`"While the WAP Forum and the W3C have different organizational goals, we share
`goals for the future of the global information space, and we want to avoid unnecessary
`divergence between the standards of the two organizations."
`
`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 Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS)
`in the USA, the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control
`(INRIA) 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, reference code implementations to embody and promote standards, and
`various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To
`date, over 370 organizations are Members of the Consortium. For more information
`see http://www.w3.org/
`About the WAP Forum
`
`The WAP Forum is an industry association that has developed the de-facto world
`standard for wireless information and telephony services on digital mobile phones and
`
`www.w3.org/1999/12/W3C-WAP-CG-pr.html.en
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`Petitioner Apple Inc. - Ex. 1038, p. 2
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`W3C and WAP Forum Establish Formal Liaison Relationship
`other wireless terminals. Handset manufacturers representing 95 percent of the world
`market across all technologies have committed to shipping WAP-enabled devices.
`Carriers representing more than 100 million subscribers worldwide have joined WAP.
`These commitments will put 10's of millions of WAP-browser-enabled products in
`consumer hands by the end of 2000. WAP Forum membership is open to all industry
`participants. For further details on the Forum and its members, please visit the Forum's
`Web site at www.wapforum.org. The Web site also includes a downloadable version of
`WAP V1.1.
`
`www.w3.org/1999/12/W3C-WAP-CG-pr.html.en
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`3/3
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`Petitioner Apple Inc. - Ex. 1038, p. 3
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