THE PRINCIPLE OF OPEN STANDARD

Definition lists a set of principles that must be met by an open standard:

Availability

• Open Standards are available for all to read and implement.

Maximize End - User Choice

• Open Standards create a fair, competitive market for implementations of the standard. 
• They do not lock the customer in to a particular vendor or group.

No Royalty

•  Open Standards are free for all to implement, with no royalty or fee. 

 No Discrimination

• Open Standards and the organizations that administer them do not favor one implementor over another for any reason other than the technical standards compliance of a vendor's implementation.

Extension or Subset

• Implementations of Open Standards may be extended, or offered in subset form. However, certification organizations may decline to certify subset implementations, and may place requirements upon extensions (see Predatory Practices).

Predatory Practices

• open Standards may employ license terms that protect against subversion of the standard.