Current Attempts to Change Established Definition of “Open” Standards

Patricia Griffin, Vice President and General Counsel, ANSI

12/02/2008
(Original Publish Date: 5/2/2005)

The term "open standard" has been used recently to describe a standard that may be copied, used and distributed for no fee and/or whose embedded technology is irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis. This definition has created some confusion among standards developers and users generally because it is contrary to the process-based definition of "open" and "openness" long held by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and many other recognized standards bodies who understand the term to describe a collaborative, balanced and consensus-based approval process for the promulgation of domestic or international standards.