Form and Style for ASTM Standards - ASTM International

CAVEATS AND OTHER LEGAL ASPECTS IN STANDARDS—SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
F2.3 General Policy Caveat— The Board of
Directors approved the inclusion of a General
Statement of ASTM Policy in all standards:
This standard is subject to revision at any time by the
responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every
five years and if not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn.
Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard
or for additional standards and should be addressed to ASTM
International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful
consideration at a meeting of the responsible technical
committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments
have not received a fair hearing, you should make your
views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, 100
Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.
This statement shall appear in a note at the end of
the standard, following the note on ASTM Disclaimer
of Liability as to Patented Inventions (see
Section F3 on Patents in ASTM Standards).
F2.4 Working Document Caveat— The
Board of Directors approved the use of the
“Working Document” statement to be stated on
the front page of every draft document or manuscript
from a committee. The following statement
shall be typed or stamped on the document:
This document is not an ASTM standard; it is under consideration
within an ASTM technical committee but has not
received all approvals required to become an ASTM standard.
You agree not to reproduce or circulate or quote, in whole or
in part, this document outside of ASTM Committee/Society
activities, or submit it to any other organization or standards
bodies (whether national, international, or other) except with
the approval of the Chairman of the Committee having jurisdiction
and the written authorization of the President of the
Society. If you do not agree with these conditions, please
immediately destroy all copies of the document. Copyright
ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken,
PA 19428. All Rights Reserved.
Anyone requesting an ASTM committee draft
document is entitled to receive a copy. However,
after receipt of this document, they shall adhere
to the caveat.
F2.5 Professional Judgment Caveat—
When a Technical Committee is developing a
Standard Guide or Practice that may involve
professional judgment, the following caveats may
be used:
F-3
Standard Guide—This guide offers an organized collection
of information or a series of options and does not recommend
a specific course of action. This document cannot replace
education or experience and should be used in conjunction
with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this guide may
be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not
intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which
the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged,
nor should this document be applied without consideration of
a project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the
title of this document means only that the document has been
approved through the ASTM consensus process.
Standard Practice—This practice offers a set of instructions
for performing one or more specific operations. This document
cannot replace education or experience and should be
used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all
aspects of this practice may be applicable in all circumstances.
This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or
replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given
professional service must be judged, nor should this document
be applied without consideration of a project’s many
unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title means only
that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus
process.
F3. Patents in ASTM Standards
F3.1 When a committee has determined an
item covered by a patent or a pending patent may
be necessary in a proposed standard, the committee
shall include a statement in the balloting
process and a footnote in the draft standard,
indicating a willingness to consider alternative(s).
ASTM standards submitted to ANSI for approval
as American National Standards shall conform to
the ANSI patent policy. The ANSI patent policy
may be obtained on the ANSI website (www.ansi.org).
F3.1.1 Statement in Balloting Process—
The statement with the ballot shall include a
request for an alternative(s) as follows:
The (name of material, product, process, apparatus) is covered
by a patent. If you are aware of an alternative(s) to the
patented item, please attach to your ballot return a description
of the alternatives. All suggestions will be considered by the
committee. If alternatives are identified, the committee shall
reconsider whether the patented item is necessary. The committee,
in making its decision, shall follow Regulation 15.
F3.1.2 Statement in Footnote of Standard—
A footnote shall be included in the standard as
follows: