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News Release from: VITA
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 03 November 2006
Pioneering patent policy gets green
light
VITA has received guidance from the US Department of Justice for new patent policy procedures aimed at significantly improving its standards-setting capabilities.
VITA, the leading trade association in the critical embedded computing industry, and its standards organisation (VSO) have received guidance from the US Department of Justice for new VITA patent policy procedures aimed at significantly improving the standards-setting capabilities within the VSO VITA requested guidance from the department's antitrust authority regarding intentions with respect to a proposed patent policy designed to ensure that participants in the VSO standard-setting process disclose patents that are essential to implement a new standard and declare the most restrictive licensing terms that will be required to license any such patents
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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"VITA members will benefit for many years to follow from the changes and improvements being made to the VITA patent policy", stated Ray Alderman, Executive Director of VITA.
"This has been an effort for reform that is long over due in the world of technology-specification development".
"We look forward to the impact that these changes will have on future standards efforts".
VITA has been exploring more effective patent disclosure procedures for the past several years.
These explorations led to an inquiry by VITA to the Department of Justice as to how to proceed in developing better procedures.
During the first half of 2006, VITA and its board of directors developed new patent disclosure procedures for use by the VSO.
This new patent policy was submitted to the Department of Justice on 8th June 2006 for their review.
After numerous meetings to gain clarification, slight changes were made.
The Department of Justice issued their business review letter on 30th October 2006.
The members of VITA are currently reviewing the proposed changes to the VITA patent policy.
The changes are expected to be approved at the January VSO meeting held in conjunction with the annual VITA Bus and Board Conference in Long Beach, California.
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