The Rambus Shell Game: A Lack Of Integrity In The Standards Setting Process

David Dorth

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 2003)

Standards setting organizations are formed to promulgate industry standards and in turn manage the course of technology that falls within their particular niche. Industry standards are the cornerstone of the technological compatibility that we enjoy as an advanced society. As we delve into the 21st century and beyond, the role of integrity in the standards setting process as a whole must be recognized by standards groups, end-users and importantly by the courts. This comment seeks to draw these entities into focusing on integrity and understand its importance in standards setting. Finally, this article strives to present a good starting point for the court, that is, a recent decision in Rambus Inc. v. Infineon Tech where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit failed to fully understand the role of integrity in the standards setting process.