At Wednesday’s VSO meeting (1/17/07) in Long Beach, CA, voting members approved by overwhelming majority the proposed policy concerning Ex Ante patent disclosure. The well-attended meeting was widely anticipated as the VITA Standards Organization (VSO) made good on the promise to “get tough on protecting its members’ interests”. At issue is the fact that standards bodies have been used in the past by less-than-forthright companies to create standards that utilize patented intellectual property – only the other participants don’t know it. Once the standard becomes ratified, then IP holders assert patents and can, at times, allegedly hold other companies “hostage” to onerous licensing and royalty fees.
