WASHINGTON-The House is considering a bipartisan bill that would give industry standards bodies limited immunity to antitrust lawsuits.
The measure, intended to complement 1996-passed legislation requiring the use of voluntary consensus standards in federal procurement and regulatory activities, has the backing of the Telecommunications Industry Association and other standards groups.
“The entire voluntary consensus standards system will be severely hindered in its ability to continue its valuable work if SDOs [standards development organizations] are subjected to possible antitrust claims and forced to incur substantial legal and other costs in their defense, said David Karmol, vice president of public policy and government affairs for the American National Standards Institute, told the House Judiciary Committee recently.
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), head of the panel’s antitrust task force, warned that antitrust suits threaten standard-setting work.
“The frequency in which standards developing organizations are named in lawsuits hampers their efficiency and effectiveness,” said Forbes.
