Rule 6.1

Membership fees, subscriptions and contributions are due from all Members and Partners of the Association, as set down in these Internal Rules.

A Contributor is a person contributing to code and/or non-code activities within a Project. Individual Contributors pay no fees or subscriptions.

Rule 6.2

In accordance with Article 12.5 of the Articles of Association, membership fees shall be set by the Board at each Annual Meeting, following review and approval of the accounts of the Association and approval of the Association’s budget for the coming financial year. Rule 6.3 of these Internal Rules will be updated accordingly. In the event that the Board does not explicitly change the membership fees, the fees from the previous year will continue to apply.

Rule 6.3

The current fees payable by Members and Partners of the Association are set out below:

  On admission as a Member or Partner Subsequent Annual Contribution
Member €200,000 NIL
Strategic Partner €200,000 NIL
Associate Partner NIL €10,000 or €40,000 for a five year term, at the Partner’s option

An Associate Partner may, by mutual consent with the Association, substitute an agreed in-kind contribution for the Annual Contribution fee of €10,000.

Rule 6.4

The rights and privileges afforded to Members, Strategic Partners, Associate Partners, and Contributors in return for their fees (where applicable), shall be as set out in the table below:

  Member Strategic Partner Associate Partner Contributors
Right to appoint a Representative to the Board ✓ X X X
Right to appoint a Delegate to the Steering Committee (with vote) ✓ ✓ X X
Right to attend Steering Committee meetings as an observer (without vote) X X ✓ X
Right to propose new Projects ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Reception of copies of the Articles of Association and Internal Rules ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Reception of appropriate notice of all meetings of the Association which Member or Partner is eligible to attend ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Information and consultation on an on-going basis about the activities of the Association ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Access to the OpenWIS® software ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Access to documentation and reference implementations ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
OpenWIS® Community Support ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Visibility of the OpenWIS® development roadmap ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Replies to new feature requests ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Access to a sandbox reference implementation ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Eligible to serve on the Technical Committee, subject to qualifying criteria in Article 14.2 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Eligible to serve on OpenWIS® Project Management Committees, subject to procedures defined in OpenWIS® Project Governance rules supplement ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Eligible to participate in OpenWIS® meetings, user groups, workshops and conferences ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Eligible to request financial support for an OpenWIS® Project, as outlined in Rule 12.8 ✓ ✓ ✓ X

Rule 6.5

It is anticipated that the fees set out in Rule 6.3 shall be sufficient to meet the running costs of the Association (as outlined in Rule 12.3 and anticipated by Article 10.1 of the Articles of Association). In the event that additional finance is required during the course of any year, this shall be sought according to the procedure set out in Article 10 of the Articles of Association.

Rule 6.6

Calls for additional finance under Rule 6.5 and Article 10 of the Articles of Association shall not affect the right of the Board to adjust membership fees for the following year in accordance with Rule 6.2.

Rule 6.7

Members and Partners hold the following obligations towards the Association:

  • To promptly appoint Representatives and Delegates to represent them at meetings of the Association, where required to do so;
  • To promptly notify the Association of any change in the identity of their Representative and/or Delegate;
  • To engage constructively in and make a positive contribution to all meetings and other activities of the Association;
  • To engage with and promptly carry out their obligations under the Strategic Programme and Work Plans produced by the Association;
  • To ensure that relevant information concerning the activities of the Association is circulated throughout the Member or Partner’s organisation, as appropriate; and
  • To pay all fees, subscriptions and contributions due to the Association promptly and in full.

Rule 6.8

Amounts due to the Association must be paid within 30 days of becoming due. In accordance with the Belgian Late Payment Law, interest on amounts overdue by more than 30 days will be charged at 8 percentage points on top of the interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent main refinancing operation, rounded up to the higher half percentage point.

Rule 6.9

Contributors shall comply with the OpenWIS® Code of Conduct.

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