16

Despite the range of benefits attributed to voluntary standards, these may open the door to strategies aiming at disadvantaging rivals. We identify several vulnerable areas related to standard setting, implementation, and enforcement, during all of which such strategies may arise. Indeed, each stage may constitute a strategic area in which a firm (or a group of firms) may attempt to raise rivals' costs (Salop and Scheffman 1983; Salop and Scheffman 1987) while legitimizing its behavior by welfare-enhancing arguments. Moreover, instigators may instrumentalize the pro-environmental effects or the consumer protection provided by their devices to capture the standard process. Three brief case studies (Allied Tube, Bic, and DuPont de Nemours) are developed to illustrate the risks related to the standardization process. We also stress potential counter strategies and discuss some policy considerations especially as regards the ambiguous effects of standards on social welfare.