In February, CSI National announced the rollout of "The Construction Standard," a controversial new method to control licensing and to protect the trademarks on their flagship intellectual property, MasterFormat. The succeeding month saw a wave of dissatisfaction expressed by CSI members on social media platforms such as the CSI Community Forum, LinkedIn, and 4specs.com, followed by a series of responses by members of the CSI Board of Directors attempting to explain the rationale for the new licensing requirements.
CSI's position is that the new dynamic standards provide a vital shared language that helps the construction industry communicate, coordinate, and build better projects. Creation of a new for-profit corporation will help create more contemporary ways to deliver, apply, and expand the usefulness of CSI standards in the market.
Members are upset that the new licensing fees are imposed on all entities who use the MasterFormat: designers and their consultants; manufacturers of building products and their representatives; contractors and their subs; owners and building managers; perhaps even governments who mandate the use of MasterFormat on their projects.
Join us for a quick update on what's happening with this issue - we'll take a few minutes at the end of our Product Show Education Session just prior to the Product Show on Wednesday April 15. DIVISION 01: Heart of the Documents This is your chance to learn about the transformation taking place in the way we use a now over 50-year-old industry standard that is a fundamental part of every aspect of the design and construction industry.
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George Everding FCSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA, SCIP
Greater Saint Louis Chapter
314-517-7800
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