On April 3, 2018, the OPC Foundation (OPCF) Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt a new Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy. This article describes the reasons for the new policy and identifies actions that members must take if they do not wish to be bound by the new terms. The new IPR Policy will be binding on all classes of OPCF members effective May 9, 2018) unless a member withdraws from OPCF membership, as further described below.
As OPC moves into a new era, with new members from different industry segments, we found that our old policy was causing unnecessary confusion and creating barriers to participation. We have simplified and improved our terms, following industry best practices. The new “Version 2.0” policy continues to embody OPCF’s longstanding goal of enabling implementation OPCF specifications on a royalty-free basis. We remain committed to creating a robust royalty free ecosystem for all OPCF implementers (both members and non-members), while also respecting the IP interests of OPC’s contributor community.
The new policy can be found here:
https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/OPCF-IPR-Policy-Ver2.0.pdf
A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the new policy can be found here:
https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/OPCF-IPR-FAQs.pdf
We are confident that our members will find the new policy to be an improvement over the old terms. If you have any questions about this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.