Incorporation by Reference Will Be the Focus of ANSI's 2012 Legal Issues Forum

All Interested Stakeholders Encouraged to Attend this World Standards Week Event

In an effort to explore the issues surrounding incorporation by reference of voluntary consensus standards into government regulation, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will hold a Legal Issues Forum, Incorporation by Reference, Reasonable Availability, and Copyright, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 10, 2012, at the Newseum's Knight Conference Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, in Washington, DC. The event is part of the World Standards Week series of meetings and celebrations hosted annually by the Institute, coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system.

Following introductory remarks from ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia, the Legal Issues Forum's keynote speaker, John Cooney, a partner at Venable LLP, will give an address titled The Public-Private Partnership: Government Reliance on Voluntary Consensus Standards. Mr. Cooney has more than 30 years of experience in regulatory policy and litigation and in his remarks will examine the effects of ongoing government reliance on voluntary consensus standards developed by private standards developing organizations (SDOs).

An interactive roundtable discussion on issues related to incorporation by reference - including copyright concerns and the availability of incorporated standards - will be moderated by Emily Bremer, attorney advisor, Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). The discussion will touch on best practices of incorporation by reference, issues and challenges that private-sector organizations and government agencies have faced, and relevant case studies. The broad range of panelists participating in this discussion includes:

• Dirk Breedveld, Manager, Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN) Construction (participating remotely)
• Michael Goldenberg, Senior Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Rae McQuade, President and COO, North American Energy Standards Board
• Thomas O'Brien, Vice President and General Counsel, ASTM International
• Esa Sferra-Bonistalli, Senior Attorney, U.S. Coast Guard
• Clark Silcox, General Counsel, NEMA
• Peter Strauss, Professor, Columbia Law School
• Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel, Consumer Federation of America

ANSI members and all interested stakeholders including those from government, industry, business, consumer groups, and academia are encouraged to attend and share their perspectives, insights, and expertise on incorporation by reference, reasonable availability, and copyright infringement and protection.

Attendance at the event, which will include a networking luncheon, requires a registration fee of $295 for current ANSI members and $350 for non-members. Registration is available on the event webpage.

World Standards Week, to be held this year on October 9-12, 2012, is an annual event where members of the standards and conformity assessment community come together in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. For more information, including registration for other WSW events and details on all meetings and conferences, visit www.ansi.org/wsweek.