Standards Permission

How to Reference and Request Permission to Use, Adopt or Translate IEEE Standards

IEEE is a focal point for various technologies and is willing to share its expertise with standards developers worldwide. IEEE owns the copyright of draft and approved IEEE standards, but there are several ways for organizations to use IEEE standards:

  1. Referencing IEEE standards
  2. Requesting permission for standard development purposes
  3. Requesting permission for use of approved IEEE standards
  4. Adopting or translating approved IEEE standards

1. Referencing IEEE standards

IEEE standards may be referenced by title and designation without the requirement for permission, as long as they are cited properly. Examples of proper citations are:

  • IEEE Std 1073.3.1a™-2000, IEEE Standard for Medical Device Communications – Transport Profile – Connection Mode, Amendment 1: Corrections and Clarifications
  • IEEE 802® technology
  • IEEE 1394™ compliant devices

2. Requesting permission for standards development purposes

IEEE offers copyright permission, on a non-discriminatory basis, for use of the content (e.g., text, tables, and graphics) in its standards and associated materials for standards development purposes. IEEE associated materials include IEEE standards; IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) policies and procedures; and publications associated with IEEE SA Industry Connections activities or the IEEE Standards Information Network. To request permission, please fill out this this form. Copyright permission is not needed to reprint the abstract or scope from IEEE SA material.

Guidelines for establishing external organizations for draft sharing

IEEE standards Working Group Chairs are permitted to share draft standards originated within their Working Group with external organizations that have been approved by the IEEE SA (after meeting specific requirements and agreeing to specific terms). There is a requirement to download and complete the cover letter provided by IEEE SA and include it as the first page of all draft standards that are provided to an external organization.

3. Requesting permission for use of approved IEEE standards

Notify IEEE SA for any request to use material, such as text, tables, graphs, and/or figures, from an IEEE standard. Depending on the amount of material to be utilized and/or the intended use of those materials, payment of royalties may be required. To request permission to reprint or modify information from IEEE standards, please fill out this form.

4. Adopting or translating approved IEEE standards

IEEE encourages the adoption of its standards by national, regional, and international standards organizations. The right to adopt and/or translate IEEE standards is established in binding agreements or memoranda of understanding (MOUs). In national adoptions, IEEE generally grants exploitation rights to the adopting organizations, including the right to add country-specific changes (usually as an annex), and publish, sell, and distribute the adopted version and translation within a defined geographic area. Note, however, that IEEE retains the copyright on its Intellectual Property. To request adoption or translation of IEEE standards please fill out this form.

For more information about intellectual property rights with regard to requesting permission, reprinting or adoptions, please fill out this form.

For information about national adoptions, please visit the Global Engagement page.

For information about contributions to IEEE standards, please visit the Copyright for Contributions to IEEE Standards Development page.

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