BSI signs joint venture for on-line delivery of British Standards

The on-line delivery of more than 35,000 British Standards through the internet has been officially launched through the signing of a joint venture agreement in the USA. The joint venture, signed in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday 19 January 2000, is between the British Standards Institution (BSI) and USA-based Information Handling Services (IHS).

The joint venture company, called British Standards Publishing Limited, will bring together the management and development of all on-line delivery services for British Standards.

BSPL will also manage the rights to individual sales and collections of British Standards, as well as BSI's Electronic Book services and British Standards Online

The new service already has many thousands of subscribers, who are able to access modules offering the full text of current and draft British Standards. These subscribers are also able to check revisions and changes to standards online at any time.

Commenting on the deal, David Lazenby, Director of British Standards, said: "International standards are essential to global trade. We can now deliver standards and associated information electronically to organisations worldwide, keeping industry advised of latest developments."

Mike Timbers, chairman and CEO of IHS Group, said: ""This joint venture will allow for more flexible delivery of standards, giving technical professionals around the world quality documents in the format they need, and quicker than ever before. Our knowledge and expertise in providing technical content to customers in over 120 countries will be a tremendous asset to this partnership with BSI."

CONTACT BSI PRESS OFFICE:
Wilma Tulloch on +44 (0)20 8996 6330 OR
Marc Edney on +44 (0)20 8996 6330