+Title: The many definitions of open standard
+Tags: english, standard
+Date: 2010-12-27 14:30
+
+<p>One of the reasons I like the Digistan definition of
+"<a href="http://www.digistan.org/open-standard:definition">Free and
+Open Standard</a>" is that this is a new term, and thus the meaning of
+the term has been decided by Digistan. The term "Open Standard" has
+become so misunderstood that it is no longer useful very when talking
+about standards. One end up discussing which definition is the best
+one and with such frame the only one gaining are the proponents of
+de-facto standards and proprietary solutions.</p>
+
+<p>But to give us an idea about the diversity of definitions of open
+standards, here are a few that I know about. This list is not
+complete, but can be a starting point for those that want to do a
+complete survey. More definitions are available on the
+<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard">wikipedia
+page</a>.</p>
+
+<p>First off is my favourite, the definition from the European
+Interoperability Framework version 1.0. Really sad to notice that BSA
+and others has succeeded in getting it removed from version 2.0 of the
+framework by stacking the committee drafting the new version with
+their own people. Anyway, the definition is still available and it
+include the key properties needed to make sure everyone can use a
+specification on equal terms.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>The following are the minimal characteristics that a specification
+and its attendant documents must have in order to be considered an
+open standard:</p>
+
+<ul>
+
+<li>The standard is adopted and will be maintained by a not-for-profit
+organisation, and its ongoing development occurs on the basis of an
+open decision-making procedure available to all interested parties
+(consensus or majority decision etc.).</li>
+
+<li>The standard has been published and the standard specification
+document is available either freely or at a nominal charge. It must be
+permissible to all to copy, distribute and use it for no fee or at a
+nominal fee.</li>
+
+<li>The intellectual property - i.e. patents possibly present - of
+(parts of) the standard is made irrevocably available on a royalty-
+free basis.</li>
+
+<li>There are no constraints on the re-use of the standard.</li>
+
+</ul>
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Another one originates from by friends over at
+<a href="http://www.dkuug.dk/">DKUUG</a>, who coined and gathered
+support for <a href="http://www.aaben-standard.dk/">this
+definition</a> in 2004. It even made it into the Danish parlament as
+<a href="http://www.ft.dk/dokumenter/tingdok.aspx?/samling/20051/beslutningsforslag/B103/som_fremsat.htm">their
+definition of a open standard</a>. Another from a different part of
+the Danish government is available from the wikipedia page.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>En åben standard opfylder følgende krav:</p>
+
+<ol>
+
+<li>Veldokumenteret med den fuldstændige specifikation offentligt
+tilgængelig.</li>
+
+<li>Frit implementerbar uden økonomiske, politiske eller juridiske
+begrænsninger på implementation og anvendelse.</li>
+
+<li>Standardiseret og vedligeholdt i et åbent forum (en såkaldt
+"standardiseringsorganisation") via en åben proces.</li>
+
+</ol>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Then there is <a href="http://www.fsfe.org/projects/os/def.html">the
+definition</a> from Free Software Foundation Europe.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>An Open Standard refers to a format or protocol that is</p>
+
+<ol>
+
+<li>subject to full public assessment and use without constraints in a
+manner equally available to all parties;</li>
+
+<li>without any components or extensions that have dependencies on
+formats or protocols that do not meet the definition of an Open
+Standard themselves;</li>
+
+<li>free from legal or technical clauses that limit its utilisation by
+any party or in any business model;</li>
+
+<li>managed and further developed independently of any single vendor
+in a process open to the equal participation of competitors and third
+parties;</li>
+
+<li>available in multiple complete implementations by competing
+vendors, or as a complete implementation equally available to all
+parties.</li>
+
+</ol>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>A long time ago, SUN Microsystems, now bought by Oracle, created
+its
+<a href="http://blogs.sun.com/dennisding/resource/Open%20Standard%20Definition.pdf">Open
+Standards Checklist</a> with a fairly detailed description.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+<p>Creation and Management of an Open Standard
+
+<ul>
+
+<li>Its development and management process must be collaborative and
+democratic:
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>Participation must be accessible to all those who wish to participate
+ and can meet fair and reasonable criteria imposed by the
+ organization under which it is developed and managed.
+ <li>The processes must be documented and, through a known method,
+ can be changed through input from all participants.
+ <li>The process must be based on formal and binding commitments for
+ the disclosure and licensing of intellectual property rights.
+ <li>Development and management should strive for consensus, and an
+ appeals process must be clearly outlined.
+ <li>The standard specification must be open to extensive public review
+ at least once in its life-cycle, with comments duly discussed and
+ acted upon, if required.
+ </ul>
+
+</li>
+
+</ul>
+
+<p>Use and Licensing of an Open Standard</p>
+<ul>
+<li>The standard must describe an interface, not an implementation, and the
+ industry must be capable of creating multiple, competing implementations to
+ the interface described in the standard without undue or restrictive constraints.
+ Interfaces include APIs, protocols, schemas, data formats and their encoding.
+<li> The standard must not contain any proprietary "hooks" that create a technical
+ or economic barriers
+<li>Faithful implementations of the standard must interoperate. Interoperability
+ means the ability of a computer program to communicate and exchange
+ information with other computer programs and mutually to use the information
+ which has been exchanged. This includes the ability to use, convert, or
+ exchange file formats, protocols, schemas, interface information or
+ conventions, so as to permit the computer program to work with other
+ computer programs and users in all the ways in which they are intended to
+ function.
+<li>It must be permissible for anyone to copy, distribute and read the standard for
+ a nominal fee, or even no fee. If there is a fee, it must be low enough to not
+ preclude widespread use.
+<li>It must be possible for anyone to obtain free (no royalties or fees; also known
+ as "royalty free"), worldwide, non-exclusive and perpetual licenses to all
+ essential patent claims to make, use and sell products based on the standard.
+ The only exceptions are terminations per the reciprocity and defensive
+ suspension terms outlined below. Essential patent claims include pending,
+ unpublished patents, published patents, and patent applications. The license
+ is only for the exact scope of the standard in question.
+ <ul>
+ <li> May be conditioned only on reciprocal licenses to any of licensees'
+ patent claims essential to practice that standard (also known as a
+ reciprocity clause)
+ <li> May be terminated as to any licensee who sues the licensor or any
+ other
+ licensee for infringement of patent claims essential to practice that
+ standard (also known as a "defensive suspension" clause)
+ <li> The same licensing terms are available to every potential licensor
+ </ul>
+<li>The licensing terms of an open standards must not preclude implementations
+ of that standard under open source licensing terms or restricted licensing
+ terms
+</ul>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>It is said that one of the nice things about standards is that
+there are so many of them. As you can see, the same holds true for
+open standard definitions. Most of the definitions have a lot in
+common, and it is not really controversial what properties a open
+standard should have, but the diversity of definitions have made it
+possible for those that want to avoid a level marked field and real
+competition to downplay the significance of open standards. I hope we
+can turn this tide by focusing on the advantages of Free and Open
+Standards.</p>
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