ABSTRACT: STANDARDS WARS: SITUATIONS, STRATEGIES AND OUTCOMES

Andrew Updegrove

4/03/2006
(Original Publish Date: 2006)

While standards wars provide the most visible example of conflict in establishing standards, there are many lesser levels of confrontation that arise from the same situations and motivations, and that may be better described as "standards skirmishes." Where such events do not lead quickly to consensus, a variety of behaviors that can be called "escalations" have evolved to signal determination without resulting in the breakdown of the standard setting process and engagement in a full standards war. It is also important to note that not all standards wars are "bad," since standardization at too early a stage may result in lock-in on an inferior technology, and greater long-term harm than the temporary disruption that may result from a "standards competition" that provides a ready standard for deployment in support of the superior technology that prevails. In this article, I examine some of the situations and strategies that illustrate these observations.