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Interoperability

For end users of communication and information technologies, interoperability, (in fact, non-Interoperability, as far as interoperability, when it works, is “invisible”), is generally considered as a technical obstacle for using a product or a service. More than ever, this obstacle is negatively felt in the world of the Internet, where interoperability is assumed to be completed, allowing all types of exchanges, for any content, of any kind.

But interoperability is a multifaceted question: technical, of course, (this one is not always the most difficult to solve), but also economic, legal, regulatory and policymaking. Each dimension face specific internal tensions. These may be: protection of intellectual property and promotion of competition, innovation on the upstream markets and fragmentation on the downstream markets, opening and effectiveness/control/safety, flexibility and certainty, originality and standardization.

ITU proposes a definition of the interoperability: “the capacity of two systems or applications, or more, to exchange information and to use mutually exchanged information” (Rec. Y101 of the ITU-T). Yet, one cannot set a unique widely accepted definition or at least overall optimal ?state of interoperability?. As a consequence, each economic player considers the interoperability from its own point of view.

For instance, the definition of ITU is mainly related to the development and the adoption of the standards: the general principle is that if the products and services are complying with the standards, interoperability is guaranteed. Although there remain standards incomplete or subjected to interpretation which make interoperability less ?guaranteed? that expected.

More generally, alternative important questions have also to be risen as regards interoperability : what are the various kinds of interoperability and in which extent do they support innovation, promote competition, develop the markets and finally satisfy the consumer.

There is no simple answer to these questions. The general consensus is that interworking is good for innovation, but the impact on the radical innovations is less clear and the incentives to innovate find sometimes their source, precisely, in the lack of interoperability. The theory of competition assumes that interoperability leads to an increased competition (and consequently to more innovation) by reduction of ?lock-in? effects and entry barriers, but does not prevent, actually, certain anti-competitive behaviors by the means of proprietary standards or de facto standards.

Even if most of the analyses conclude that the advantages of interoperability largely exceed its disadvantages, interoperability is not an end, but remains a means to boost markets development keep the consumer satisfied. Moreover, in the digital economy, the consumer intervenes more and more in the mechanisms of innovation and interoperability must also allow innovation by the users.

The Microsoft case and the decision of the European Court of Justice, in 2007 condemning Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position, illustrate all these debates. Microsoft considered that to offer the interoperability at the level required by the competition authority imply to reveal information protected by intellectual property rights and consequently subjected to business secret. For Microsoft, the application of its intellectual property laws could not be regarded, in any way, as an abuse of dominant position (despite the 90 to 95% of market share on the market considered by the European commission). At the end, Microsoft considered that interoperability was what the customer wants/needs and argues that, today, Windows 7 and Linux can operate in parallel on the same machine. Beyond the Microsoft case, the decision of the Court clarified the conditions under which a company in dominant position could act as regards interoperability (at least in Europe, the situation remaining different in the United States) which can be summarized by the level of information which must be delivered by a dominant company allowing a competitor or a partner to propose to the consumer a reasonable alternative.

It remains to find the best ways to reach the right level of interoperability. The range is large, from a top-down approach making interoperability mandatory, to the bottom-up open approach making interoperability emerging from the game between all the players.

EventsÉvénements

Publications

  • Internet Interoperability

     8 juin 2015 .

    Richard Feasey, Senior International Policy Advisor

  • Managing extended organizations and data governance

     9 février 2013 .
    Eric Buffenoir, UMR 5221 CNRS, Montpellier, France, Isabelle Bourdon, Montpellier Research Management, Montpellier University 2

  • Interoperable Systems and Software Evolution: Issues and Approaches

     9 février 2013 .
    Norman Wilde, Sikha Bagui, John Coffey, Eman El-Sheikh, Thomas, Reichherzer, Laura White, George Goehring, Chris Terry, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, U. S. A.

  • Information Systems Modelling For Enterprise Systems Interoperability

     9 février 2013 .
    Hervé Panetto, University of Lorraine, TELECOM Nancy, Research Centre for Automatic Control, France
    Presentation at the DEDM conférence

  • Internet Interconnection and Network Neutrality

     21 octobre 2012 .

    Jay Pil Choi, School of Economics, Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and Dep. of Economics, Michigan State Univ., USA, Doh-Shin Jeon, Toulouse School of Economics and CEPR, France, Byung-Cheol Kim, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. Conference on Oct. 2012 on “Economics of ICTs”.
  • R&D coordination in standard setting organizations: The role of consortia
     15 octobre 2011 .
    Justus Baron, Cerna, MINES ParisTech,  Yann Ménière, Cerna, MINES ParisTech, Tim Pohlmann, Technische Universiät Berlin.

    Presentation at the conference organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, September 30-October 1st, 2011, on « Economics of Information and Communication Technologies »
  • The Software Interface between opyright and Competion Law. A Legal Analysis of Interoperability in Computer Programs
     30 juin 2009 .
    Ashwin Vanrooijen, Clifford Chance
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • Interoperability, Open Standards, Free Software after Microsoft
     30 juin 2009 .
    Carlo Piana, Lawyer
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • The Microsoft Case
     30 juin 2009 .
    Cecilio Madero-Villarejo, Director-DG Competition-European Commission
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • Monetizing Business Assets in Multisided Markets: An Economic Perspective
     30 juin 2009 .
    Bruno Jullien, IDEI, Toulouse School of Economics.
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • How to license interoperability? A start-up perspective
     30 juin 2009 .
    Mikko Valimaki, Helsinki University of Technology.
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • Fragmentation vs Interoperabilty
     30 juin 2009 .
    Jean-Pierre Temime, Orange, France

    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • DRM Misuse
     30 juin 2009 .
    Nicolo Zingales, Berkeley University, Bocconi University
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • Some ITU-T standardization topics and related interoperability aspects
     30 juin 2009 .
    Marco Carugi, ITU-T SG13 Vice-Chair and Q.3/13 Rapporteur, Senior Advisor, Nortel Networks

    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • ICT Interoperability and e-Innovation. Some conclusions from a transatlantic study
     30 juin 2009 .
    Urs Gasser, Law Ewecutive Director, Berkman Center and University of St Gallen. Switzerland
    Presentation at the seminar organized by the Innovation and Regulation in Digital Services Chair, in Paris, 23 June 2009, on « Inteoperability ».
  • Standardisation landscape & impact of Internet in the telecom industry
     1 avril 2009 .
    Philippe Lucas, VP International Standardisation & Industry Relationships, Orange

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • The rise of service standards between socialization and commodification
     1 avril 2009 .
    Jean-Christophe Graz, Institute of Political International Studies, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • Technological normativity v. Legal normativity – the virtues of the explicit
     1 avril 2009 .
    Yves Poullet & Antoinette Rouvroy, CRID–FUNDP, Namur, Belgium

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • Standardisation, Innovation, EU Neighbourhood Policies and beyond
     1 avril 2009 .
    Richard Delmas, EC-DG-INFSO
    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • Considerations on Innovation and Competition Policy
     1 avril 2009 .
     Georg C. F. Greve, Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • The problems with(in) online communities
     1 avril 2009 .
    Jean-Michel Dalle, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • New Web Standards in the Making
     1 avril 2009 .
    François-Xavier Dudouet, Univ. Paris-Dauphine, Economic Sociology, Benjamin Nguyen, Univ. Versailles Computer Science, Antoine Vion, Univ. Aix-Marseille II Political Science.

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • Internet Standardisation remains unilateral
     1 avril 2009 .
    Louis Pouzin, Eurolinc

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • A Closer Look at the Internet’s Standards Setting Process
     1 avril 2009 .
    Kai Jakobs, RWTH, Aachen University, Computer Science Department, NL

    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • ICT standardisation and the place of Internet
     1 avril 2009 .
    Jean-Pierre Henninot, French Ministry Finances & Industry, Vice-Chairman ETSI Board
    Presentation at the Workshop organized by the Innovation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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  • Technical Standards and Behavioral Norms: a subject more complex than economists imagined
     1 avril 2009 .
    Paul A. David, Chaire Innovation & Regulation, Paris, and Stanford University
    Introduction to the Workshop organized by the Innocation & Regulation in Digital Services Chair, Paris, 31 March, 2009, on »Technical regulation of the Internet : from technical standards to behavioral and societal norms ».

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