Understanding “Balance” Requirements for Standards-Development Organizations

Most technical standards-development organizations (“SDOs”) have adopted internal policies embodying “due process” criteria such as openness, balance of interest, consensus decision making and appeals. Yet these criteria lack generally-accepted definition and the manner in which they are implemented varies among SDOs. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the principle that SDOs should ensure a balance of interests among their stakeholders. This article explores the origins and