Editing Open standard (section)

==== New Zealand official interoperability framework definition ====
The [[E-Government Interoperability Framework]] (e-GIF) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/e-gif/e-gif-v-3-1/policy/e-gif-v-3-1-policy.pdf|title="New Zealand E-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF)" version 3.0, June, 22nd 2007|website=e.govt.nz|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=16 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016002645/http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/e-gif/e-gif-v-3-1/policy/e-gif-v-3-1-policy.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> defines open standard as royalty-free according to the following text:

<blockquote>
While a universally agreed definition of "open standards" is unlikely to be
resolved in the near future, the e-GIF accepts that a definition of "open standards"
needs to recognise a continuum that ranges from closed to open, and encompasses
varying degrees of "openness." To guide readers in this respect, the e-GIF
endorses "open standards" that exhibit the following properties:

* Be accessible to everyone free of charge: no discrimination between users, and no payment or other considerations should be required as a condition to use the standard.
* Remain accessible to everyone free of charge: owners should renounce their options, if any, to limit access to the standard at a later date.
* Be documented in all its details: all aspects of the standard should be transparent and documented, and both access to and use of the documentation should be free.

The e-GIF performs the same function in e-government as the Road Code does on
the highways. Driving would be excessively costly, inefficient, and ineffective if
road rules had to be agreed each time one vehicle encountered another.
</blockquote>