Does SABS charge for those 50 copies that will be in your mailbox this afternoon? Are you saying that it is okay to charge for standards if the supporting service is good?
I don't get it.
The members of the US Techical Advisory Group to ISO/TC176 now have to pay $150 USD every year to volunteer to work on management system standards. TC176 was the last United States TC to ISO to charge a fee for membership. For many years TC 176 members in the US did not have to pay for membership becasue of the perceived revenue from ISO 9001. The membership fee was implemented because there is an operating financial loss. Of course, there may be many factors as to why there is a financial loss and may have nothing to do with charging for a copy of ISO 9001. I just want to share that the member bodies of ISO may not be profiting on ISO 9001 the way we think.
I agree that the publicaiton of ISO 9001:2008 brings many things into question since it took 9 years to make almost no improvement. At this rate, ISO 9001 could become obsolete / behind the times and people will be really upset about having to purchase copies.
I think those interested in debating this issue need to see some real balance sheet data to support the debate in this thread. And to see a "process approach" or systems thinking analysis as to how the entire system of standards publication, distribution and sales works. Only then will we really understand how things work, how much revenue there is, costs, debts, expenses, and interacting factors.
I will not be researching these items because I am not complaining about paying for standards or not paying for standards.