IPC正在召集PCB制造企业、EMS和OEM等业界公司，以制定一项保护知识产权的标准。保护知识产权标准小组的首次会议将于2009年10月23日在亚利桑那州举行。

Protecting intellectual property (IP) is critical in today’s competitive global marketplace. Leading OEMs are increasingly concerned with the protection of IP embedded in their products. Now they are realizing the importance of protecting the IP that is designed into printed circuit boards. Similarly, the U.S. Congress has directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop a trusted source program for printed circuit board manufacturers supplying the DoD.

With both the commercial and government sectors’ interest in protecting IP through supplier requirements and audits, the new standard is expected to educate members and elevate best practices in IP protection. The new IP standard will also help the global electronics industry save money by developing a single standard to which companies can certify.

The IP standard organizational meeting will take place the morning following the IPC Electronics Industry Executive Summit, which will include a presentation by Patrick Muir, president of Muir Patent Consulting, PLLC, on “Protecting your IP.”

To register for the free IP standards development organizational meeting or for more information on the work of the group, contact Fern Abrams, IPC director of government relations and environmental policy, at +1 703-522-0225 or fabrams@ipc.org.