Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the ANSI Federation, highlighting the people and initiatives making waves in standardization.
DOC Conference to Help Electrical Manufacturers Navigate New EU Environmental Directives The
Department of Commerce (DOC) will host a conference on updates to the European Union (EU) environmental directives on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at DOC headquarters in Washington, DC. The event will present an overview the EU landscape for electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers with regard to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and Energy Related Products (ERP) directives. UK government experts will share insights on what U.S. companies can expect, and ample time will be allotted for an interactive Q&A session. Admission is free for in-person or teleconference attendance. RSVP to
[email protected] or 202-482-4496 by Monday, May 21, 2012.
Microsoft Launches New Subsidiary for Open Source Standardization Activities Microsoft has announced the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary, Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc., to advance investment in interoperability, open standards, and open source. The new structure will help facilitate the interaction between Microsoft's proprietary development processes and its open innovation efforts, as well as relationships with open source and open standards communities. Microsoft is a company member of the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In a
blog post announcing his leadership of the new subsidiary, Jean Paoli said, "It is important to note that Microsoft and our business groups will continue to engage with the open source and standards communities in a variety of ways, including working with many open source foundations such as Outercurve Foundation, the Apache Software Foundation, and many standards organizations. Microsoft Open Technologies is further demonstration of Microsoft's long-term commitment to interoperability, greater openness, and to working with open source communities."
SES Offers Webinar on Strategic Use of HR Standards ANSI organizational member
SES - The Society for Standards Professionals will host a webinar on
Using ANSI Human Resource Standards to Create a Business Advantage in the Workplace on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The webinar will demonstrate how using recently published and future HR standards can create a business and operational advantage in an organization, and will discuss how HR professionals can successfully adopt and implement the standards. Lee Webster, director of human resource standards at ANSI member and accredited standards developer the
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), will serve as moderator. For registration and more information on this and other upcoming SES webinars,
click here.
DOC-ITA Revamps Intellectual Property Rights Website The
International Trade Administration (ITA), in cooperation with the DOC and other relevant U.S. agencies, unveiled the newly redesigned website
www.STOPfakes.gov as part of a continuing effort to improve online tools and information gathering on intellectual property rights (IPR). Originally debuted in 2005,
www.STOPfakes.gov provides information that is particularly relevant to small and medium-sized businesses, including resources to help protect innovations, spur creativity, and market products safely at home and abroad. The website also offers consumer tools for identifying counterfeit and pirated goods. Through the website, users can report IPR theft to federal law enforcement, obtain a free one-hour consultation with a lawyer knowledgeable on IPR protection, and take a self-paced IPR tutorial that explains patents, copyrights, and trademarks, and guides small businesses through an IP audit to assess intangible assets. Additional information on cross-sector solutions to the global challenge of IPR can be found in Best Practices in the Fight against Global Counterfeiting: An Action Guide to Strengthen Cooperation and Collaboration across Industry Sectors and among Global Supply Chains, a document available as a
free download on ANSI's website.
