RFC 8179 · BEST CURRENT PRACTICE · 2017

Intellectual Property Rights in IETF Technology

Overview

RFC 8179, “Intellectual Property Rights in IETF Technology”, is a Best Current Practice document published in May 2017 by S. Bradner, J. Contreras. It updates RFC 2026. It obsoletes RFC 3979, RFC 4879. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.

Abstract

The IETF policies about Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), such as patent rights, relative to technologies developed in the IETF are designed to ensure that IETF working groups and participants have as much information as possible about any IPR constraints on a technical proposal as early as possible in the development process. The policies are intended to benefit the Internet community and the public at large, while respecting the legitimate rights of IPR holders. This document sets out the IETF policies concerning IPR related to technology worked on within the IETF. It also describes the objectives that the policies are designed to meet. This document updates RFC 2026 and, with RFC 5378, replaces Section 10 of RFC 2026. This document also obsoletes RFCs 3979 and 4879.

Abstract as published in the RFC, via rfc-editor.org.

What “Best Current Practice” means

Documents the IETF community's recommended operational or procedural practice rather than a protocol specification.

Read this RFC

The canonical text of RFC 8179 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in TXT,HTML.

Relationships to other RFCs
This RFC obsoletes
RFC 3979 RFC 4879
This RFC updates
RFC 2026
Other RFCs from 2017

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