A new online tool for free access to voluntary consensus standards that have been incorporated by reference (IBR) into federal laws and regulations has recently launched.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) IBR Portal utilizes read-only access, meaning there are no print or download options. This is to protect the intellectual property rights of the groups holding these standards’ copyrights.
In recent years, issues related to IBR have commanded increased attention, particularly in connection to requirements that standards that have been incorporated into federal laws and regulations be “reasonably available” to the U.S. citizens and residents affected by these rules.
This requirement had led some to call for the invalidation of copyrights for IBR standards. Others have posted copyrighted standards online without the permission of the organizations that developed them, triggering legal action from SDOs.
To view the ANSI IBR Portal visit ibr.ansi.org.
