Openstandards

Open standards are standards that are publicly available and developed through transparent, consensus-based processes to enable interoperability and competition across products, services, and systems.

Their defining features include public availability, broad participation, published requirements, and non-discriminatory implementation. The licensing terms of open standards are intended to remove barriers to use, though actual licensing can vary.

Open standards aim to facilitate interoperability, prevent vendor lock-in, encourage innovation, and support cross-border trade by defining common interfaces that multiple providers can implement.

Standards bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and the IEEE, along with coalitions like OpenStand, oversee open-standard development through formal, typically multi-stakeholder processes.

Examples of widely adopted open standards include HTML and HTTP (web technologies) and the CSS, XML, and SVG specifications, as well as various open file formats such as PNG.

Challenges include ensuring true openness in practice, managing patent disclosures, avoiding fragmentation, and maintaining updates as technology evolves. Open standards are often contrasted with proprietary standards, which are controlled by a single organization and may limit interoperability.