IEC and ISO launch action plan to increase awareness of copyright in standards
Several years ago IEC and ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and their respective members introduced online sales in response to standard users’ and customers’ requests for fast and convenient access to standards. The side effect of such an improved service was that it made illegal reproduction easier and increased the potential for standards to be obtained or distributed illegally.
Recently, IEC and ISO launched an action plan to promote the fact that standards are protected by copyright. The importance of asserting copyright over standards is twofold. Firstly, it ensures the integrity of their content which is critical for standard users and secondly, it helps to secure revenues derived from the sales of standards which contribute to supporting the standardization activities.
From a practical point of view, the plan consists of including a more visible copyright notice and a warning sign on standards and on web sites, as well as publicizing an information brochure aimed at users to understand the copyright issue in relation to standards, and how they can use these publications and the information they contain. In particular, the brochure describes the initial rights given to customers when they purchase a standard and the different options offered to companies and standard users when they need to make more extensive – and legal – use of the content of standards.
The generalization of watermarking of international and national adoptions of ISO and IEC standards is another component of the plan. Adding a watermark to downloaded standards in particular is a simple and non-intrusive technique to identify the rightful licensee and another mechanism to help users understand the existence and importance of copyright in IEC and ISO standards.
The new brochure is available on the IEC website. |
