standards, regulations and liability philip cordeiro research associate – ece department ee 2799...

Standards, Regulations and Liability

Philip CordeiroResearch Associate – ECE Department

EE 2799December 7, 2006

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OverviewOverview Introduction Standards Classes Standards Anatomy Standards Development Standards Applications Standards Compliance

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IntroductionIntroduction What is a standard? Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

something set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality

Standards Refer To:– Hardware– Software– Protocols– Processes

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IntroductionIntroduction Who defines a standard? United Nations (U.N.)– ITU

Government Agencies– FCC– FDA– NIST– CPSC– OSHA

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IntroductionIntroduction National Standards Organizations– ANSI

International Standards Organizations– ISO– IEC

Professional Associations– IEEE

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IntroductionIntroduction Industry Trade Groups– PCI-SIG– 1394 Trade Association– USB Implementers Forum– ETSI– IETF– ZigBee Alliance

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IntroductionIntroduction Notified Body– TÜV

Military–MIL-SPEC

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Standards ClassesStandards Classes Three Classes of Standards– Voluntary– Interoperability– Safety

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Standards ClassesStandards Classes Voluntary– Not required by law, often encouraged by

government agencies– Often a marketing tool– Examples• ISO 9001• ISO 9003• ASTM D4236• NHTSA Crash Ratings

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Standards ClassesStandards Classes Interoperability–May be required by law or be mandatory– Guarantee interoperability between

products• FCC Part 68• W3C SOAP

– Help to prevent interference, or provide immunity, between products• FCC Part 15

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Standards ClassesStandards Classes Safety– Usually a legal requirement, mandatory– Intended to provide safe products– Examples• CPSC Part 1205• IEC/CLC TR 62102• ITU-T K.20

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Standards ClassesStandards Classes Open/Closed– Open standard is publicly available, either

free or for a fee• IEEE standards• IETF Recommendations

– Closed standard is not publicly available• Microsoft DOC format

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Standards AnatomyStandards Anatomy Scope– Defines applicability of standard

References Definitions and Abbreviations Specifications and Requirements Testing Methodology and Compliance

Criteria

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Standards AnatomyStandards Anatomy Example Specification:

Example Test Method:

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Standards DevelopmentStandards Development Individual or Company Developed

Standards– Developed due to a business need–May or may not be public (open)–Widespread acceptance • de facto standard• Submission to a standards body

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Standards DevelopmentStandards Development Standards Body Process–Most technical work performed in

committees (working groups, task groups)– Generally have annual or semi-annual

meetings between committees• 68th IETF in Prague

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Standards DevelopmentStandards Development Standards Body Process– Secretariat • Administers day-to-day operations• Publishes standards• Collects fees

– Open participation– Company and individual membership• May or may not have membership dues

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Standards ApplicationsStandards Applications Why use a standard? Advantages– Time to market– Reduced development time/costs– Consumer confidence– Leverage existing technologies– Take advantage of established ecosystem– Legal requirement– Contractual requirement

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Standards ApplicationsStandards Applications Why use a standard? Disadvantages–May not suit all you needs• Not enough features• Too many features

– Fees– Obfuscation

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Standards ComplianceStandards Compliance

Interoperability Events– PlugFest– Strong Angel

Certification– Self certification– Notified Body– Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory

(NRTL) Compliance Officer

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Standards ComplianceStandards Compliance

Certification Marks

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Standards ComplianceStandards Compliance Certification Marks

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Standards ComplianceStandards Compliance Certification Marks

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Standards ComplianceStandards Compliance Certification Marks