Recent developments in the interplay between patents and standards setting: Lessons for smart grid, metering, and electric vehicle manufacturers

Demand for new technologies in the power and energy industry has grown steadily over the past decade, especially with respect to advanced metering, smart grid technology, and electric vehicles. Continued innovation in these areas, however, will largely depend on the ability of entities to set standards that ensure compatibility between new products by different manufacturers. This paper first explores several types of cooperative arrangements that can facilitate standards setting in the power and energy industry. This paper then highlights several possible issues when a standard is set using patented technology — very often the case with new developments.