WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/WPDR/W/38 
14 March 2006 
 
 (06-1124) 
Working Party on Domestic Regulation Original:   English 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM SOUTH AFRICA 
 
South African National Standard
 
 
 
The attached document has been received on 10 March 2006 from the delegation of South 
Africa with the request that it be circulated to Members of the Working Party on Domestic 
Regulation. 
_______________  S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 3 
 
 
   
 
ICS 01.120   ISBN 0-626-14827-8 SANS 1-1:2003
Edition 1
 
    
 
  
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL STANDARD  
 
     
 
 
Standards for standards 
  
Part 1: The development of national 
standards and other normative documents 
 
 
    
 
     
 
   
Published by Standards South Africa 
1 dr lategan road groenkloof   private bag x191 pretoria 0001 
tel: 012 428 7911 fax: 012 344 1568 international code + 27 12 www.stansa.co.za 
© Standards South Africa 2003
 
S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 4  
 
  SANS 1-1:2003 
Edition 1  
 
 
Table of changes 
Change No. Date Scope 
   
   
 
 
Foreword 
 This standard was approved by National Committee STANSA TC 200, Technical committee for the 
development of standards , in accordance with procedures of Standards South Africa, in compliance 
with annex 3 of the WTO/TBT agreement.  This standard cancels and replaces an ear lier procedural document, ARP 017:1997, Procedures for the 
technical work in the preparation of South African standards . 
 
     
 
    
 
    
 
     
 
    
 
    S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 5 
 
 
   
Contents 
 
Page 
 Foreword 
 
1 Scope ........................................................................................................................ ............  7 
 2 Normative references ......................................................................................................... ..  7 
 3 Concepts and definitions ..................................................................................................... . 8  
 
4 Status of the SABS (informative) .........................................................................................  10 
 5 Aims and benefits of standa rdization (informative) .............................................................  10 
 
6 Concepts and principles behind the deve lopment of national standards and other 
 normative documents (informative) .....................................................................................  11  7 Committees (normative) .......................................................................................................  13 
 8 New project options (informative) .......................................................................................  15 
 
9 Development stages (normative) ..........................................................................................  15 
 10 Appeals ( normative) .......................................................................................................... ...  16 
 
11 Updating and maintenance of standards (normative) ...........................................................  16 
 12 Copyright (n ormative) ........................................................................................................ ..  18 
 13 Patents ( normative) .......................................................................................................... ....  18 
 
 
    
 
    
 
     
 
 S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 6  
 
   
This page is intentionally left blank 
 
  
 
    
 
    
 
     
 
    
 
     
 
    
 
     
 
    
 
     S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 7 
 
 
   
    
 
Standards for standards 
 
Part 1: 
The development of national standa rds and other normative documents 
 
    
1  Scope 
 
This standard describes the underlying principles of  the preparation of national standards and other 
normative documents published by Standards South Africa (STANSA).  This standard is intended to serve as a guide fo r committee members, chairpersons and Standards 
South Africa staff members, and as background info rmation for standards development organizations,  
interested organizations and members of the public. 
 
It is not intended to lay down detailed internal  procedures since these are generally required only by 
Standards South Africa staff. Standards South Africa will, from time to time, publish guidance 
documents relating to the practical applica tion of the provisions of this standard. 
 
NOTE   Standards South Africa, formerly known as the Stan dards Development Division of the South Africa Bureau of 
Standards (SABS), now has a clearer and more distin ct identity. It remains a Division of the SABS. 
 
2  Normative references 
 
The following normative documents contain provisi ons which, through reference in this text, 
constitute provisions of this standard. All normativ e documents are subject to revision and, since any 
reference to a normative document is deemed to be a reference to the latest edition of that document, 
parties to agreements based on this standard are encour aged to take steps to en sure the use of the most 
recent editions of the normative documents indicated  below. Information on currently valid national 
and international standards can be obtained from Standards South Africa.  
2.1  Standard 
 ISO/IEC Guide 2, Standardization and related activities – General Vocabulary. 
 
2.2  Other publication 
 
World Trade Organization Code of Good Practice fo r the preparation, adoption and application of 
standards (annex 3 to the World Trade Organization/Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement).  S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 8  
 
  3  Concepts and definitions 
 
3.1  Concepts 
 
3.1.1 
consensus  
general agreement, characterized by the absence of su stained opposition to substantial issues by any 
important part  of the concerned  interests, and by a process that involves seeking to take into account 
the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments 
[ISO/IEC Guide 2] 
NOTE   Consensus need not imply unanimity. 
 
3.1.2 
standardization  
activity of establishing, with regard to actual or potential problems, provisions for common and 
repeated use aimed at the achievement of th e optimum degree of order in a given context 
[ISO/IEC Guide 2] 
 
NOTE 1   In particular, the activity consists of the pro cesses of formulating, issuin g and implementing standards. 
NOTE 2   Important benefits of standardization are improvement of the suitability of products, processes and services for 
their intended purposes, prevention of barriers to trade and f acilitation of technological cooper ation, as further discussed in  
clause 5 of the standard.  
 
3.2  Definitions 
 
For the purposes of this standard, the following definitions apply: 
 
3.2.1 
compulsory specification  
standard, or part of a standard, which has been decl ared to be compulsory by the Minister of Trade 
and Industry in terms of the Sta ndards Act, 1993 (Act 29 of 1993) 
 
3.2.2 
national technical agreement NTA 
technical document, however developed, publication of  which is agreed to by consensus in a technical 
committee or subcommittee and published without being subjected to public comment, in the interests 
of speedy availability or for othe r reasons determined by the technical committee or subcommittee 
 
NOTE   A national technical agreement  is not a national standard, but could be developed into one, if so desired by the 
technical committee or subcommittee . 
 
3.2.3 
normative reference/provision 
standard, or provision within a standard, with which it is necessary to conform in order to be able to 
claim compliance  with that standard or provision 
 
3.2.4 
sectoral technical agreement STA  
technical document, however developed, agreed to by consensus within an interest group, consortium 
or sector, and published by Standards South Africa  S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 9 
 
 
  NOTE 1   The document will include a list of participating orga nizations involved in its development, and may be identified 
by letters such as ITA (Industry Technical Agreement), IWA (Industry Workshop Agreement) , CKS 
(Coordinating/Koördinerende Specification), NRS (Rationali zed User Specification), or ARP (Aanbevole/Recom-mended 
Practice). 
 
NOTE 2   A sectoral technical agreement is not a national stan dard, but could be developed into one, if so desired by the 
appropriate  technical committee or subcommittee. 
 
NOTE 3   Sectoral technical ag reements should not conflict with, or undermine , the provisions of any national standard or 
compulsory specification . 
 
3.2.5 
South African standard  
normative document, established by consensus w ithin a technical committee or subcommittee, 
subjected to public enquiry and comment, ra tified by the Standards Approval Committee and 
published by Standards South Africa, that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or 
characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context 
 
NOTE   Standards should be based on the consolidated result s of science, technology and experience, and aimed at the 
promotion of optimum  community benefits . 
 
3.2.6 
standards development organization SDO 
body assuming responsibility for the preparation a nd maintenance of nationa l standards and other 
normative documents 
 
3.2.7 
Standards Approval Committee SAC  
an internal committee of Standards South Africa r esponsible for approval of all new work items, and 
the ratification, revision, amendment and withdrawal on the basis of due process  of all normative 
documents 
 
3.2.8 
subcommittee SC 
group of representatives that is responsible for the preparation of South African standards within a 
subfield of  the scope of a technical committee and that reflects valid national  interests within the  
subfield  
3.2.9 
technical committee 
TC national technical committee 
group of representatives that is concerned with stan dardization, responsible for identifying the need 
for, and the preparation of South African standards in a defined field and that reflects valid national  
interests within that field 
 
3.2.10 
technical regulation 
document which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, 
including the applicable administrative pr ovisions, with which compliance is necessary 
[Annex 3 to the World Trade Organization/Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement] S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 10  
 
   
3.2.11 
working group WG 
group of experts appointed by a TC or SC to deal w ith a particular project or with a particular aspect 
of a project 
 
4  Status of the SABS  (informative) 
 
The South African Bureau of Standards is, in term s of the Standards Act, 1993 (Act 29 of 1993), the 
recognized national institution for the promotion and maintenance of standards in South Africa. The 
affairs of the SABS are controlled by the Council of  the South African Bureau of Standards, whose 
members are appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry. The Council determines the direction 
and objectives of the SABS.  The mission of the SABS is to provide and prom ote standardization services in South Africa and 
abroad in support of the national system of innova tion and trade, with the ultimate aim of contributing 
to the upliftment of the quality of life of all sectors of  society. 
 The objectives of the SABS, as stated in the said Standards Act, include the following: 
 – to issue national standards; and  
– to obtain membership of foreign or international bodies that have objectives similar to those of the 
SABS. 
 The SABS may also, in the course of exercising its  power and in order to achieve its objectives, 
 
– enter into agreement with, 
 – render assistance to, or  – obtain the cooperation of  
a person, a body, an organization, an administration, an authority or a government, in any country or 
territory outside South Africa.  
NOTE   The SABS is a member body of the International Organi zation for Standardization (ISO) and participates actively in 
a number of their committees. The SABS also provides the financial and admi nistrative support for South Africa's 
membership of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IE C), which is responsible for international standards in the 
electrotechnical field. The SABS is an active member of  SADCSTAN, the standards development committee within the 
Southern African Development Community (SADC), and takes part in other standa rdization forums such as the Economic 
Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) and the Codex Alimentarius commission . 
 
5  Aims and benefits  of standardization  (informative) 
 
The main aims and benefits of standa rdization can be summarized as follows: 
 
– improving the quality (fitness for purpose) of goods and services; 
 – maintaining and improving the quality of life of so ciety, by paying attention to such matters as 
safety, health and the environment, and by pr oviding a basis for legislation needed for the 
protection of the public;  S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 11 
 
 
  – more efficient utilization of resources through better (i.e. standardized) communication; through 
simplification of manufacturing, product identifica tion and purchasing by means of variety control; 
and through cost savings as a result of economies of scale, reductions in wastage, etc.; 
 – providing a framework within which to facilita te and encourage trade among willing partners; 
contracts based on standards; elimination of trade barriers; the promotion of service excellence and 
fair and efficient trade at all levels; and 
 – promotion of efforts to facilitate the correct a pplication of standards through, for example, the 
consideration of training principles. 
 
Standardization involves the following:  – the development , establishment and publication  of standards (covering, for example, specifications 
for products, services or systems, codes of practice, methods of test, etc.); 
 
– when appropriate, inspection and testing of products and processes for compliance with standards; 
 – when required, formal certification by a certific ation body of the compliance of a product, service 
or system with one or more standards; 
 
– when appropriate, the application of standards as Technical Regulations; and 
 – administrative functions related to, amongst others , the maintenance of the national standards base. 
 
6  Concepts and principles  behind the development of national standards and 
other normative documents  (informative) 
 
The development of South African standards is funde d by the State. Standards South Africa acts as a 
facilitator in the development and maintenance of South African standards, provides secretarial and 
technical writing facilities and services for the co mmittee responsible for this task and acts as a 
publishing house for South African standards and related documents.  To achieve market relevance of South African st andards, best practice in terms of the WTO/TBT 
agreement is followed to ensure that valid inter est groups are represented on committees and, once the 
committee has reached con sensus, draft South African standards are submitted to a public enquiry 
stage.  The technical content of a standard contextualises national requirements and needs as identified by the 
committee . Standards are thus “South African standards” and not “SABS” standards. 
 
Consensus in representative committees  on the technical content of standards is arrived at either in 
formal meetings or by correspondence. The princi ple of consensus is applied throughout and an 
appeal procedure exists (see clause 10) for the reso lution of disputes. Cost-effectiveness, together with 
proper financial control and commitment to response and deadlines  within committees, is essential for 
the efficient development of South African standards. 
 
Standards South Africa also publishes other nor mative documents, such as National Technical 
Agreements  and Sectoral Technical Agreements. Figure 1 shows the development process of these 
documents and their relationship to South African standards.  S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 12  
 
  1  Source document 
 
 
Any draft or existing normative document  
 
    2  Responsible  body 
 
 
Group, sector, consortium, or 
STANSA Working group  STANSA TC or SC  
 
 
 
  
3  Process 
 
Technical consensus Consensus to Technical consensus 
+ consensus to publish as an STA publish as an NTA + public enquiry 
 
 
 
   
4  Product 
 
 Sectoral Technical Agreement  National Technical Agreement  South African Standard  
 Published as such on behalf of a 
group, independently of any 
STANSA TC or SC. Can stand 
alone, or be submitted to a TC or 
SC for further development into a 
South African standard after 
going through the process of 
concensus building and public 
enquiry.  Published as such on behalf of a 
TC or SC, usually for reasons of 
speedy availability. Full technical 
consensus is not a prerequisite 
but consensus to publish is. Can 
stand alone, or be further 
developed into a South African 
standard after going through the 
process of consensus building 
and public enquiry.  A full consensus standard 
complying with WTO/TBT 
requirements. 
 
   
Narrow  Extent  of consensus  Broad 
    
Short  Time to publication  Long 
 
 
Figure 1 — Development of normative documents 
  S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 13 
 
 
  Normative documents such as National Technical Agreements , Sectoral Technical Agreements and 
national, regional and international standards, ma y be used as source documents in the development 
of South African standards, subject to any copyright constraints. Standards South Africa has the right to adopt ISO, IEC and certain other internationa l, regional and national standards as South African 
standards. 
 
South African national standards or parts thereof ma y be declared as compulsory specifications by the 
Minister of Trade and Industry in terms of th e Standards Act, 1993 (Act 29 of 1993). The said 
Standards Act requires that a draft notice of the in tent to declare the specification compulsory be 
published in the Government Gazette for a public comment period of 60 days, although the Minister 
may proceed directly with the final publication in urgent cases. The procedure for the declaration of 
standards as compulsory falls beyond the scope of this document.  All other standards or normative documents are submitted to the Standards Approval Committee for 
ratification that the laid-down procedures were follo wed. Once ratified, the documents are released for 
publication. 
 South African standards are reviewed regularly to ensure continued market relevance. If updating is 
required, a revision or an amendment can be initiated (see clause 11).  
7  Committees  (normative)  
 
7.1  General 
 
Committees are the backbone of the standardizati on process. Committees can be technical committees 
(TCs), subcommittees (SCs) of technical  committees or working groups (WGs). 
 
7.2  Technical committees 
 Technical committees shall be constituted to be  representative, as far as reasonably possible,  of valid 
national interests in the standardization of products or processes. Membership is preferably  on the 
basis of organization, association or forum repr esentation as opposed to an individual basis. 
Organizations normally invited to serve on tec hnical committees include government bodies, industry 
associations, consumer organizations  or associations, non-government organizations, organized labour 
and professional, technical and trade organizations. Committees may invite experts to serve in any 
capacity, advisory or otherwise. 
 
7.3  Membership levels and respons ibilities of co mmittee members 
 
In order to achieve maximum efficiency and the necessary discipline in the work, each organization 
shall clearly indicate, with regard to each tec hnical committee or subcommittee of which it is a 
member, if it intends to join as 
 
– a P-member, i.e. a member that will participate actively in the work, with an obligation to respond 
to documents circulated for comment, voting or both , and to participate in and (where applicable) 
vote at meetings, or 
 
– an O-member, i.e. a member that will follow th e work as an observer, and will therefore receive 
committee documents and have the right to submit comments and to participate in meetings, but 
not to vote. 
  S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 14  
 
  NOTE 1   In some committees, where  such differentiated membership is not  desired, only the rule s for P-members apply. 
 
NOTE 2   Member organizations may request a change in membership status at any time. 
 
NOTE 3   If a P-member has been persistently inactive and ha s failed to make a contribution to two consecutive meetings, 
either by direct participation or by correspondence, or has failed to respond to documents circulated for comment and/or 
voting, the chairperson should remind the member of the obliga tion to take an active part in the work and suggest the 
alternative of electing O-membership instead. In the absence of  a satisfactory response to this  reminder, the member should 
automatically be removed from the relevant committee. 
 
7.4  Subcommittees 
 
Technical committees can propose the formation of subcommittees to which they may delegate the 
responsibility for the preparation of standards.  
7.5  Working groups 
 
A committee can set up working groups, usually temporary in nature, to undertake specific, short-term 
tasks, such as the preparation of a work ing draft (WD), or other investigations. 
 
7.6  Committee chairperson 
 A chairperson is expected to have a working knowle dge of standardization procedures at national and 
international levels. Working groups have c onvenors appointed and approved by the parent 
committee. 
Chairpersons of technical committees and subcommitt ees should preferably be external to Standards 
South Africa.  Chairpersons are initially appointed to their positio n for a maximum term of three years. They are 
appointed by the committee secretariat from nominati ons made by the members of the committee and 
their appointment shall be ratified by the SAC.  After the initial term a chairperson may be nomina ted for extensions of chairmanship, each such 
extension being for a maximum term of three year s. Each such extension shall follow the same 
procedure as the initial appointment. At the end of each such extension re-nomination may be 
considered. 
 
7.7  Technical committees: relations with and participation in international committees 
 
Wherever practicable, the technical comm ittee structure should be in alignment  with that of the 
corresponding international standards organizati on. The means of liaison with international 
committees shall be determined by the national committee . In practice, many committees provide 
input into the development of international sta ndards and subsequently decide to adopt these 
international standards as South African standards.  Delegates to international standards meetings ar e experts representing the views of the relevant 
national committee. Official communication w ith international technical committees and 
subcommittees shall be routed through th e ISO or IEC Offices of the SABS. 
 
  
 
  S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 15 
 
 
  8  New project options  (informative)  
 
When a new standards project is under consideration,  there are often two possibilities: either to adopt 
without change an existing international or regional standard or to develop a South African standard 
containing at least some different requirements.  
The advantage of direct adoption is that the resu lting adopted standard is produced cheaply, quickly 
and easily, and that it is in line with the World Trade Organization/Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO/TBT) Agreement. It might, however, not adequately represent the full  needs and requirements 
of the South African market. 
 
Developing a standard from scratch has the advantag e that a more focussed standard can be achieved 
that addresses local needs. On the other hand, the de velopment of such a standard is costly and time-
consuming, and there is always the very real possibility that the lengthy committee process could 
culminate in no more than a duplication of the work  done in the development of existing international 
or regional standards. Where possible, existing inte rnational or regional standards should be used as 
departure point. 
 
The final decision as to which route to follow is  taken by the responsible committee. However, 
Standards South Africa is committed, wherever possible, to encouraging committees to adopt 
international or regional standards, since this will ul timately result in global standardization, with all 
its benefits. 
 
9  Development stages  (normative)  
 
9.1  Any person or organization may request a new proj ect or standard in writing. The proposer shall  
supply information justifying the development of the standard. In general, the drafting stages in the 
development of a standard begin after a new work item proposal has been accepted by the responsible 
committee and  approved by the Standards Approval Comm ittee. The approved proposal may be a 
project for either a new standard or the revision of an existing standard. Acceptance of a new work 
item by correspondence requires a response from at least 50 % of the P-members of the committee 
with a simple majority of the respondents in favour.  
9.2  A project leader, usually in conjunction with a working group, prepares one or more working 
drafts of the standard, whic h are preliminary documents. 
 
9.3  Once the working group members have finalized their task, a committee draft (CD) is presented 
to the committee (TC or SC) to  commence the consensu s-building process, which entails commenting 
and voting on the document. 
 
9.4  Any of the above steps can be performed repeated ly until consensus is re ached within the TC or 
SC. The following minimum time limits apply: 
 a) new work item proposal – three weeks for reply; 
 
b) draft for comment or voting (or both) – three weeks for reply; and 
 
c) notice for meeting – three weeks before the meeting date.  
9.5  If consensus cannot be reached within the orig inal time frame specified, the Standards Approval 
Committee may review progress and, if appropriate, s uggest a re-submission of the new work item, or 
request the market relevance to be re-evaluated . Project cancellation should only be considered if it is S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 16  
 
  not possible to produce a normative document that encompasses the progress made and that is based 
on lower consensus. 
 
9.6  On acceptance of the committee draft, a draft Sout h African standard (DSS) is made available for 
public comment both nationally and internationally (public enquiry stage). A comment period of 60 
days is normally required in terms of the WTO Code of good practice for the preparation, adoption 
and application of standards  (see annex 3 to the World Trade Organization/Technical Barriers to 
Trade Agreement, to which South Africa is a signa tory). A 30 day comment period applies in the case 
of adoptions. Comments received are reviewed by th e TC or SC. The DSS process should be repeated 
if, in the chairperson’s opinion, significant technical  changes are required to be made to the standard 
at this stage . If no comments are received, or no significant technical changes are introduced, the 
standard is deemed to be  approved, and is forwarded to th e Standards Approval Committee for 
ratification. After ratification the docu ment is released for publication. 
 
9.7  The style, layout and language of standards are the responsibility of the Standards Development 
Support Department of Standards South Africa. 
 
10  Appeals  (normative) 
 
10.1   Provision is made for appeal by a member of a committee against a subcommittee decision, a 
technical committee decision, or against a decision of  the management of Standards South Africa. An 
appeal shall  be lodged in writing, within ten working days of the decision, stating clearly the technical 
grounds on which the appeal is made. 
 
10.2   An appeal against a subcommittee decision or a ruling by the chairperson of a subcommittee, 
shall be lodged with the chairperson of the technical committee. 
 
10.3   An appeal against a technical committee decisi on shall be lodged with the chairperson of the 
Standards Approval Committee. 
 
10.4   An appeal against a decision by the chairper son of the Standards Approval Committee shall be 
lodged with the CEO of the SABS. Any decision by the CEO concerning an appeal in respect of a 
standard is final and shall be re ported to the Council of the SABS. 
 
10.5   Pending resolution of an appeal, work in progress on a standard during the appeal, shall 
continue up to, but not including, ratification of the standard by the Standards Approval Committee. 
 
11  Updating and main tenance of standards  (normative) 
 
11.1  General 
 
Corrections to standards are  issued whenever they are found to be necessary. In addition, all standards 
are subject to regular review to ensure  that they do not become obsolete. 
 
11.2  Corrigenda 
 
Typographical or editorial corrigenda are issued with the approval of the chairperson of the 
responsible committee.  
11.3  Amendments 
 Amendments to published standards are issued when essential for the   S/WPDR/W/38 
 Page 17 
 
 
   
– correction of an error that coul d be misleading or have potentially  serious consequences, or  
 – alteration or addition (or both) to prev iously agreed-upon technical provisions that  are approved by 
the committee responsible for the standard. 
 
Any person or organization may propose an amendment.  The proposed text of the amendment shall be 
supported by a motivation.  The amendment is incorporated in to the standard and the amended standard is then issued as a 
consolidated  edition carrying a new edition number. 
 
11.4  Systematic review 
 Every South African standard is reviewed periodica lly to ensure that it remains valid. The review 
period, as decided upon by the responsible committee, can be  stated in the foreword of the standard. 
In the absence of an agr eed review period, the review period is  taken to be five years. Adopted 
international standards are normally reviewed only when the source standard is reviewed. 
 When reviewing the standard, the following three options shall be considered by the committee: 
 a) Confirmation, which means that 
 
 – the standard, as is, remains valid, or   – the standard, as amended, remains valid, or  
 – the standard, subject to ame ndment, will be considered valid. 
 b) Revision, which means that   – a revision of the entire standard is to be unde rtaken, in accordance with the procedure for new 
projects. 
 
c) Withdrawal, which means that   – the standard is no longer needed.  
11.5  Revisions 
 The revision of a standard, resulting in a new edition, shall be considered when: 
 a) a change is needed in the basic structure or layout of the standard;  
b) as a result of numerous amendments or for othe r reasons, the resultant page or clause numbering 
has become confusing to such an extent that reading of th e standard becomes difficult; 
 c) the criteria for determining compliance with the standard for a product or service have changed to 
such an extent, either as a result of amendment(s)  or as a result of technological changes, that the 
chairperson or staff within the standards devel opment organization responsible for that standard 
deems it necessary to issue a new editi on of the standard, in order to 
 S/WPDR/W/38 
Page 18  
 
   i) draw attention to these substantially changed criteria, or 
  ii) make the latest version of the standard more readily understandable; 
 d) in the case of adopted standards, a revi sion of the original standard is issued. 
 
12  Copyright  (normative) 
 
The copyright of all normative documents published by  Standards South Africa is vested in Standards 
South Africa. At the drafting stage, the project leader  is responsible for ensuring that no material is 
included that would infringe the copyright of a third party. If it is imperative that such material be 
included, permission has to be obtained from the copyright holder. 
 
NOTE   In the case of a Sectoral Technical Agreement, co pyright might, under certain circ umstances, be shared between 
Standards South Africa and the group, sector or consortium concerned. 
 
Where committee members submit material that th ey have originated, and such material is 
subsequently included in a normative document, St andards South Africa recognizes the right of the 
originator of the material to continue to reproduce the material in the form in which it was originally 
submitted. However, committee members are reminde d that although they mi ght have contributed 
part of the content of a standard, this does not en title them to reproduce the entire contents of the 
published standard without prior perm ission from Standards South Africa. 
 
13  Patents  (normative)  
 
Technical reasons may justify the preparation of a standard in terms which include the use of items 
covered by patent rights, provided the holder of su ch identified patent rights is willing to negotiate 
licences under his rights on reasonable and non-discr iminatory terms and conditions. A statement to 
this effect shall be included in the foreword of the standard . Standards South Africa shall not be held 
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  Should it be revealed after publication of a standard  that licences under patent rights, which appear to 
cover items included in the standard, cannot be  obtained under reasonable and non-discriminatory 
terms, the standard shall be re ferred back to the relevant co mmittee for further consideration. 
   
__________