Patent dispute possible for new 802.11n Wi-Fi standard

September 24, 2007 – The new 802.11n Wi-Fi standard could be threatened by patent disputes, according to news portal ISP Review, following reports that the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial research Organisation (CSIRO) holds several patents for the technology.

The problem is understood to stem from the lack of assurances by CSIRO that it won’t sue anyone for patent infringement.  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) requires that CSIRO commits itself to not pursuing patent infringements lawsuits before it will back the new Wi-Fi standard.

The IEEE is understood not to have received any response from the CSIRO to its requests for a letter of assurance, despite many manufacturers having already placed ‘pre-n’ (draft) specification hardware on the shelves.