Was it Napoleon who said that All my generals are ready and prepared to fight the LAST battle – i.e. they are ready to face the situations they have encountered previously – but that logic may not apply in the NEXT battle.
Based on that view, a debate on standards and the evolution of standards is needed today considering that we are focused on the existing scenario – but the future of standards and innovation may be very different.
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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.
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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.
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