While the Bean Validation TCK is rigourous about enforcing an implementation's conformance to the JSR 349 specification, it's reasonable to assume that an implementor may discover new and/or better ways to validate the assertions. This chapter covers the appeals process, defined by the Specification Lead, Red Hat, Inc., which allows implementors of the JSR 349 specification to challenge one or more tests defined by the Bean Validation TCK.

The appeals process identifies who can make challenges to the TCK, what challenges to the TCK may be submitted, how these challenges are submitted, how and by whom challenges are addressed and how accepted challenges to the TCK are managed.

Following the recent adoption of transparency in the JCP, implementors are encouraged to make their appeals public, which this process facilitates. The JCP community should recognize that issue reports are a central aspect of any good software and it's only natural to point out shortcomings and strive to make improvements. Despite this good faith, not all implementors will be comfortable with a public appeals process. Instructions about how to make a private appeal are therefore provided.