The death of paid standards (and the birth of new identity services)

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that, over the past 20 years, a combination of industry, technological, and legal developments has effectively ended the viability of standards bodies to charge for their published specifications and related registration information. These trends have been especially significant in the information‐telecommunications (ICT) and security fields.Design/methodology/approachThe article discusses developments in standards and related registration systems, why they are essential for industry, government, and consumers, and describes emerging features of next generation standards publishing and related identity management services.FindingsThese shifts to next generation standards business, cybersecurity, and identity management models will be complex – given the global diversity of the activities.Originality/valueAlthough some discourse on standards availability, copyright, and registration/verification of identifiers independently exists, no known published material treats all three as an integrated ensemble.