A ruling that could have far-reaching consequences for standardisation in Europe:
On 5 March 2024, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that harmonised technical standards setting standards for products are components of EU law. These EU standards must therefore be accessible free of charge to companies and citizens.
With this judgment, the ECJ invalidated a decision of the EU Commission from 2018, in which two non-profit organisations were denied access to harmonised technical standards.
The justification for the current decision: the public interest in the standards outweighs the standardisation organisations’ claim to copyright. After all, private individuals could also be dependent on knowing the standards that apply to a particular product.
What are the consequences for business?
The ruling could force the European standardisation system to undergo a fundamental overhaul. In particular, free access to all harmonised standards calls into question the business model of standardisation organisations – such as DIN at the national level. What this means in concrete terms for the work of the associations and the entire standardisation process remains to be seen.
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Source: heise online
