A little over a year ago, in January 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a settlement with Negotiated Data Solutions (“N-Data”) regarding the firm’s patent licensing practices in relation to the Ethernet standard for computer networking. That announcement has prompted a number of responses, both positive and negative, not so much because of the specifics of the case but rather because of the broader questions it raised.
Read More…

Diverse standards system critical for consumer choice

Technology players, policy-makers and experts debate role of standards in boosting innovation and interoperability in ICT

Brussels, 5 May 2009 – Top technology companies, policy-makers and experts gathered today to debate how standards can be used to boost innovation and interoperability in the ICT sector. The roundtable, hosted by the London Intellectual Property Institute (IPI), took place as the European Commission finalises its White Paper on ICT standardisation, due to be published in the summer.
Stakeholders stressed that interoperability is critical in the development of new services and markets, but that there is no magic solution for how to bring it about. “Everybody wants interoperability. Regardless of your industry sector, or the hardware and software you use”, said Allen Dixon, Managing Director of International Intellectual Property & Technology Consulting. “Interoperability is clearly driven by customer demand”, he added. However, real interoperability requires transparency, collaboration, and a range of solutions, platforms and tools from across the industry to succeed.
Read More…