Re: [gpsd-dev] Copy of IEC 61162-1

[Sanjeev Gupta]

On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 2:54 AM, Chris Kuethe <address@hidden> wrote:

It's expensive to buy, last time I looked  the terms of sale closely
approximated an NDA, and their IP enforcement staff seems to be very
good at tracking down leaks.

Was this an ISO or IEC standard?  It may have looked very legal, but most of the ISO/IEC standards I work with _have_ to be widely disclosed.  There is NO prosperity information in them.  The phrasing, on the other hand ...

An example: the most widely used (and abused) ISO standard is ISO9000.  This starts out by making it mandatory that all employees (and stakeholders) _have_ to be aware of the organisation's commitment to the Quality Requirements of the standard.  During my audits, I ask staff this question, and if more than a couple say "we have no idea what ISO 9000 is, and how it applies to us", i WILL raise an audit finding.  Asking the Quality Manager to keep the standard confidential does not make sense.  He has to read and discuss the actual standard with middle management.  He may not make copies, but he can circulate his copy, project it on the screen, abstract issues to discuss.

The issue is copyright.  When I studied under Prof Don Knuth (I wish!) he gave me a copy of his book, and explained stuff to me.  The knowledge is obviously not under NDA, nor is the content of the book, but I may NOT photocopy the book for a colleague.

That is all it is, from ISO or IEC's view. 

And they allow National Members to make and sell as many copies as they like, at the price they like, with the terms they like.  So please ask ANSI, or PTB, or DIN, etc.  Shop around, someone is always having a new year sale.

--
Sanjeev Gupta
+65 98551208     http://www.linkedin.com/in/ghane