President Bush Signs New Law Affording Certain Antitrust Protections to Standards Development Organizations

Jeffrey A. Jaeckel, and W. Stephen Smith

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 7/2/2004)

On June 22, 2004, President Bush signed into law H.R. 1086, which includes the Standards Development Organization Advancement Act of 2004 ("the Act"). The Act amends the existing National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 ("the NCRPA") to extend the NCRPA protections to standards development organizations ("SDOs"). The Act applies only to SDOs; it expressly does not limit or otherwise affect the potential antitrust liability of the parties participating in a standard-setting organization.