Digital Standards Organization

Digistan has published its first "standard for standards", the Consensus-oriented specification system. or COSS.

Peter Jungen and the EEI wonder if openness rhetorics risks turning Europe into an innovation "dead zone".

In addition to mixed responses of consumers reluctant to accept technical protection measures without direct consumer benefit, the interoperability problems of existing DRM solutions lead to a supply side fragmentation of the market which prevent their adoption. The EU-Council wants consultations.

In response to a question of Hiltrud Breyer the European Commission explains 'Open Standards'. Technical mandates are seen as "a means to achieve its political, economic and social mandate, including carrying out its tasks in the most efficient way, constantly ensuring appropriate user satisfaction and best value for EU taxpayers' money." Furthermore the Commission highlights its support for the open document format (ODF).

Chris Puttick points us to the Prime Minister's office's response to the Digistan petition launched by UK supporters of free and open digital standards.

After years of discussion, the EU has announced that it will not change its definition of "open standard" to accommodate the wishes of patent holders and legacy software firms. We look at some of the reactions and at the growing divergence between US and EU policies on technology.

Rob Weir, Steve Pepper and Patrick Durusau are expected.

The UK Prime Minister's office has accepted an e-petition calling for the PM to adopt the Hague Declaration. Deadline for voting is 6 July.

EU-Commissioner Siim Kallas answered to MEP Cappato (ALDE) that the Commission was able to accept and generate documents in ODF format. The Finn heads among other DGs the Directorate General Informatics of the European Commission which coordinates the Commission's IT infrastructure.

Josh Chalifour discussed the relationship of open standards and open source and acknowledges the new advocacy approach of the Digistan Hague Declaration.

Steve Pepper reports that the South African national standards body, SABS, has appealed against the result of the OOXML DIS 29500 ballot in ISO.

The founders of the Digital Standards Organization, and others, will sign the Hague Declaration on 21 May 2008 in the Hague. The signing ceremony will be held in the Dutch Royal Library.

In an open letter published today, nineteen standards professionals and activists, founders of the Digital Standards Organization call on standards developers, supporters, and advocates to sign the Hague Declaration on open standards, and join in the building of a new not-for-profit worldwide grass roots organization "to defend and promote open standards".

The "Estándares Abiertos" project (www.EstandaresAbiertos.org), originally the inspiration for the FFII's open standards work group, and the intellectual source of Digistan has decided by unanimous votes of its members to join Digistan as its Spanish chapter, covering Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Polish organization KROS, the Coalition for Open Standards, has joined the growing international community that is building the Digital Standards Organization.

"Les Standards Numériques est la plateforme francophone de Digistan, the Digital Standards Organization. Digistan regroupe des professionnels des formats numériques et a pour but de promouvoir le choix des consommateurs, la libre concurrence et la croissance dans l'économie numérique par le biais de la compréhension, le développement et l'adoption de standards informatiques libres et ouverts."

On April 10, 2008, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa Delgado signed a decree ordering that the software used by public administrations in the country be free software (and implicitly based on open standards). Fuller story in Spanish...

Digistan organizes its next workshop in the Hague on 21st May 2008. The programme covers all Digistan workgroups including Domino, the project to translate the Dutch e-government framework for international use.

Microsoft are running a conference on the subject of standards and patents, "Providing unique insight into standards and key patent issues affecting companies that use hi-tech equipment."

"The findings of an international study released today by researchers from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and the Research Center for Information Law, University of St. Gallen indicate that private sector leadership, more so than government intervention, is the optimal method for ensuring that technologies work well together and innovation flourishes... The research was sponsored by Microsoft Corporation."