Standardization and Technological Innovation: Some Reflections on Ex-ante Licensing, FRAND, and the Proper Means to Reward Innovators

Damien Geradin, Howrey LLP; Tilburg University - Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC)

2/04/2008
(Original Publish Date: 6/1/2006)

In today's technology-driven world, industry standardization, component interoperability, and product-compatibility have become critical to promoting innovation and competition. Standards are typically created by voluntary organizations (generally referred to as standard-setting organizations (SSOs)) composed of participants from a given market or industry (electronic components, communications, etc.). They meet to discuss, analyze, refine, and ultimately adopt mutually acceptable standards, which ensure competing and complementary products and components are compatible and can interoperate with one another. SSOs have thus gained importance over the years in technology-driven sectors.