Standards: Are They Really Standard?

By definition, “standards” relate to “fulfilling specific requirements as established by an authority, law, rule, custom, etc.; a guiding principle.” Speaking to matters of interoperability and the reigning in of potential monopolistic business and antitrust practices, we are emboldened to look at those doctrines within which companies operate when bringing products to market. Unlike many other technologies, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is not a plug ‘n’ play or an off-the-shelf commoditized technology. It is, however, a fairly simple concept designed to address fairly complex challenges, such as combating drug-counterfeiting and black-marketing.