The W3C note is a specification for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information. By Ariba, IBM and Microsoft.
W3C Working Draft 9 July 2001. SOAP version 1.2 is a lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an XML based protocol.
The World Wide Web Consortium was created to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.