Editorial: It’s Time for IPR Equal Opportunity in International Standard Setting

Andrew Updegrove, Partner, Gesmer Updegrove LLP

3/28/2008
(Original Publish Date: 8/1/2007)

Standards occupy what may be a unique niche at the intersection of society, government, commerce and opportunity. That's because safety, health and technical standards of all types touch every aspect of our daily lives. One would think that governments would therefore take great interest in how they are developed and deployed. Curiously enough, however, they largely don't. While this largely hands off attitude has worked reasonably well in the past, the increasing importance of technology in the modern day world may be introducing us to an era when international standards wars will become more common, unless efforts are undertaken now to level the playing field.