NICC Terms of Reference (summary)  

NICC operates wherever possible within the context and framework of agreed international standards - or where necessarily undertaking work in advance of  these being available seeks then to influence the future development of such European and international standards.

The NICC shall, for interoperability between networks and services, and between networks and customer equipment:

(a) identify and agree any existing interface arrangements;

(b)  identify and establish a consensus on new and emerging interface arrangements;

(c) stimulate work by expert groups and standards committees on common presentations of these and other interfaces/arrangements;

(d) liaise with those responsible for national implementation of European Directives, Guidelines and Standards.

NICC IPR Policy

General

NICC IPR policy is based on the ETSI IPR Policy dated 22 nd November 2000, which applies the same principles, save as follows.

Ofcom will not make a determination to mandate any interface standards that contain third party IPR unless any claimed IPR is formally and irrevocable waived. Furthermore, it is understood that the owner of any IPR contained in such a NICC publicly available published document has waived any IPR claim if he has not declared it prior to publication, save to the extent that it has already been declared elsewhere under ETSI or ITU IPR Policy principles.

Key Principles (based on ETSI IPR Policy)

1 To reduce the risk that investment by NICC members and others in the preparation, adoption and application of NICC documents could be wasted as a result of essential IPR being unavailable.

2 NICC members and others participating in NICC groups preparing NICC documents shall declare any additional IPR, beyond what has already been declared under ETSI or ITU IPR Policy Principles, including any known third party IPR, at the earliest opportunity. Furthermore when submitting a proposal, such participants shall, on a bona fide basis, draw the attention of fellow participants to any such additional IPR which might be essential should the proposal be adopted.

3 Where a NICC document contains such additional declared IPR, then the owner of the IPR shall make it available by the grant of irrevocable licences on fair reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. The terms of such grant and scope of the licences shall be agreed prior to publication

4 NICC documents shall contain information pertaining to any such additional declared IPR.

5 Save to the extent that other formal agreements exist, copyright in all documents created by NICC shall vest in Ofcom, but due acknowledgement shall be given to copyrights owned by third parties that are identifiable in NICC documents.

6 The proceedings of a NICC group and all information submitted to a NICC group shall be regarded and treated as non-confidential, unless the information is in written or other tangible form, has been identified in writing as confidential when submitted and the chairman of the group has agreed in advance that it be so treated. Confidential information incorporated into a NICC document shall cease to be regarded as confidential upon publication.