Learning Module Series Standards Development and Intellectual Property

Learning Module Series Standards Development and Intellectual Property Protection 1

Background n Strong increase in electronic information n Entertainment, educational and business content available at users’ fingertips n Instant information: High-speed Internet delivers content in seconds 2

Impact of the Digital Age Intellectual Property Protection n Publishers must protect their most valuable asset n Widespread issue – illegal copying and unauthorized use n Bottom-line implications for many organizations 3

The Challenge for SDOs Digital Age Dilemma n Standards developers face growing intellectual property concerns n Illegal reproduction and unauthorized use is a real issue 4

Defining the Problem Common Occurrences n Individual purchases one standard and e-mails it to numerous colleagues n ASTM standards posted on public Internet sites – open access and free download n Companies purchase standards and place them on internal Intranet site without the proper license 5

What’s at Stake? n Impact on health of standards development organizations n Revenue from standards sales helps to further continued standards development and ongoing operations n Not meeting marketplace needs 6

Addressing the Issue ASTM’s Approach n Intellectual property, logo, and licensing policies n Digital rights management n Educational initiatives 7

Intellectual Property and Logo Policies n Readily accessible on ASTM website n Clear guidelines on use and protection of ASTM intellectual property n Details proper use of ASTM logo n Branding opportunities for organizational members 8

Licensing Policy n Applies to electronic downloads of ASTM standards n Users must agree to terms and conditions before purchasing an ASTM standard n ASTM grants a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable license n Licenses available for WAN or Intranet use 9

Digital Rights Management n Electronic watermarking of all downloaded ASTM standards (PDF format) n Program locates inappropriately posted ASTM documents on the Internet 10

Education n Violations occur due to lack of understanding on the issues n Failure to read licensing terms n Lack of standardized licensing terms in SDO community n ASTM: Focus on education to reduce future mistakes 11

Moving Forward n ASTM: Protecting its vital intellectual property assets to better serve the world’s need for voluntary consensus standards 12

Thank You ASTM International Learning Module Series www. astm. org 13