Today is World Standards Day, and this year’s theme is “shared vision for a better world”, with a focus on affordable and clean energy. ip fray has gathered some of the key statements on the important role standards – and standard-essential patents (SEPs) – play in innovation from across the ecosystem.
‘Breakthrough’ standards
IP Europe was one of the first to publish something today (October 14, 2026 IP Europe article), focusing on international digital video standards and how they can help make consumer electronics “more efficient”. They listed the top five examples of the technologies that their members have invented to make the transmission of video data more efficient, including:
- InterDigital’s Pixel Value Reduction (PVR)
- Versatile Video Coding (VVC/H.266), developed by ITU-T and ISO/IEC
- Low-decoding-energy setting for the VVenC encoder, which Fraunhofer created with Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Layered VVC, explored by Nokia
- Fraunhofer IIS’s LC3plus audio codec
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) broke down how the standards it has developed are shaping the digital world of today (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by ETSI). This includes the EN 304 223 standard, which establishes a robust framework to shield AI systems from growing and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats; ITS-G5, which signals priority for public transport in traffic systems; and EN 303 919, which will ensure the EU is able to handle accessible emergency communications using the same communication method in which they are received.
Patrik Hammarén, President of Nokia Technology Standards, shared his views on LinkedIn, noting that bringing the industry together and enabling interoperability helps to transform “breakthrough” ideas into the wireless and multimedia experiences we rely on today, while paving the way for the AI-native 6G era (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by Patrik Hammarén).
An impact beyond paper
Laura Peter, Deputy Director General at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), also wrote on LinkedIn about how while a technology may begin with a single invention, its impact depends on how it is protected, built upon, integrated into standards, and brought to market (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by Lara Peter). She added:
“That is why SEPs matter. They sit at the intersection of technological innovation, international standards, investment, and global markets.”
Atila Nozari, PhD, Senior Manager of Medical & Scientific Affairs at 3M healthcare spin-off Solventum, also shared something on LinkedIn, noting that the “true value of a standard goes beyond what’s written on paper” (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by Atila Nozari). To Mr. Nozari, the value is in the impact it creates.
In healthcare in particular, he wrote, standards’ greatest impact is not simply achieving compliance, but advancing quality, strengthening trust, and ultimately protecting patients. He added:
“The best standards don’t just reflect current best practices. They help shape what better looks like tomorrow.”
To Clemence Kng, Head of Legal and Compliance, Singapore, JAR Capital, standards symbolize getting thousands of people who may never meet to agree on how their different pieces will fit together (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by Clemence Kng). While we tend to celebrate invention (patents, the breakthrough, the “clever new product”), he believes the technology that changes the world is not the cleverest object but the “common language that lets everything around it work”.
World Standards Day, he wrote, sounds like a “celebration of something painfully technical”. But perhaps standards deserve more attention, Mr. Kng added.
‘The invisible backbone’
A couple of businesses also participated in the World Standards Day celebrations, including LG Innotek, which emphasized that technical standards are the “invisible backbone” of innovation (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by LG Innotek). The company noted its contributions to the mobility world, including through its SEPs in EVCC (Electric Vehicle Charge Controller) and automotive sensing (LiDAR).
HCGZ, a global intelligent logistics and robotics company, also shared on LinkedIn that standards “create a common language for people, technologies, and industries — helping different systems work together and turning complex processes into coordinated progress” (October 14, 2026 LinkedIn post by HCGZ).