Frontmatter

©September 1998, The Open Group All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

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Preface

This document defines the Interoperability Program offered by The Open Group as part of the Open Brand program.

This document does not provide a detailed description of the Open Brand program (available in the Practical Guide to the Open Brand¹), nor does it cover the interoperability aspects of Product Standards; these are described in general in each relevant Product Standard and in the specific details of the Conformance Statement that is provided for each Registered Product.

Nothing in this Interoperability Program in any way reduces or affects the obligations or rights imposed by the Trademark License Agreement (TMLA)² on a vendor of a Registered Product to ensure that said Registered Product conforms to the applicable Standards of Quality required by the TMLA and that it will continue to do so for as long as it remains a Registered Product.

It should be noted that it is entirely possible that during the Conciliation or Mediation processes of this Program a non-compliance in a Registered Product may be discovered. The resolution of such non-compliance will continue to be handled within the scope of the TMLA. TMLA Sub-clauses 4.10 and 4.11 deal, among other matters, with the obligations of Licensees to ensure adherence to the Standards of Quality and the procedures required for the resolution of any non-compliance, however discovered.

The Interoperability Program is non-exclusive of other avenues which the parties (customers and vendors) may have to resolve their interoperability and conformance disputes. Nothing in the Interoperability Program alters any contractual obligation between or among the parties.

For more information, see The Open Group web site at http://www.opengroup.org.

Footnotes

1.

Open Group Brand Program Documentation, January 1998, Practical Guide to the Open Brand (ISBN: 1-85912-265-5, X981).

2.

Open Group Brand Program Documentation, January 1998, The Open Brand Trademark License Agreement,
(ISBN: 1-85912-275-2, X982).