Negotiation of Usage Control Policies - Simply the Best?

The term "negotiation" suggests that multi-step bidirectional communication takes place. In this position paper, we play the devil\´s advocate and argue that (automated) policy negotiation essentially is one of the following, at least in the area of usage control. It can come down to a three-phase protocol that consists of a client request, a set of offers by the server, and the client\´s choice of an offer or to abort. Policy negotiation can also consist of a client request together with acceptable conditions plus the server\´s choice of one condition or to abort. In other words, negotiation of policies is a mere choice among alternatives; there is no negotiation in the intuitive sense of the word. - The goal of this position paper is to stimulate the discussion on what (automated) "policy negotiation" really is or can be.