New ISO fees on the horizon?

"Information technology standards groups are raising warning flags over a proposal that could raise fees for commonly-used industry codes, including two-letter country abbreviations, used in many commercial software products.

At stake is a tentative proposal from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to add usage royalties for several code standards, a move that opponents say could weaken standards adherence by forcing software providers to pay a fee for each ISO-compliant product they sell. The standards--ISO 3166, ISO 4217, ISO 639--cover country, currency and language codes, respectively.

IT standards groups are rallying opposition to an ISO proposal to introduce usage royalties for widely adopted standards, including country codes.

Critics say the proposal could weaken standards adherence by forcing software providers to pay a fee for each ISO-compliant product they sell. The backlash illustrates growing sensitivity in software circles over belated intellectual property claims."

Tech-Critic - New ISO fees on the horizon?