Fergie's Tech Blog

U.S. Will Not Oppose IEEE Patent Disclosure Policy

George Leopold writes on EE Times:

The Justice Department said Monday (April 30) it will not oppose on antitrust grounds the IEEE's proposed policy for disclosing patents in standards deliberations.

IEEE's policy would allow patent holders to publicly agree to specific restrictions on future licensing terms and conditions for intellectual property considered essential to an IEEE standard.

In a legal opinion sought by the IEEE known as a "business review letter," the Justice Department's Antitrust Division said "the proposed policy may enable IEEE to make better informed decisions when formulating standards that will benefit consumers."

posted by Fergie @ 4/30/2007 03:38:00 PM