WASHINGTON-The Telecommunications Industry Association applauded Senate passage of legislation to further shield industry standard-setting bodies from antitrust lawsuits.
TIA called on lawmakers to swiftly resolve any differences between House and Senate bills and send the measure to President Bush for his signature.
“TIA is pleased with the Senate’s action,” said Dan Bart, senior vice president for standards and special projects at the trade group. “TIA, the American National Standards Institute, and many other ANSI-accredited standards development organizations have supported this updating of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act to encompass additional forms of cooperative activities that greatly benefit the public. This law does not provide new exemptions from antitrust compliance, but rather helps in preventing some frivolous actions that could impact an SDO, which is typically a non-profit entity with limited financial means.”
The bill amends the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 to provide that the conduct of a standards development organization while engaged in a standards development activity shall be subject to a rule of reason standard in any action under the antitrust laws. The legislation recognizes the long-standing relationship between SDOs and the federal government in developing standards for regulatory and procurement functions. It also provides limited relief to SDOs under existing antitrust laws.
