National Fire Protection Association

The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association, albeit with some international members, that creates and maintains private, copyrighted standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. The association was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firms. Its purpose was to standardize the then-new fire sprinkler systems. It reports to have 65,000 members.Codes and standardsThe association's codes and standards are published online. In 2013, the association, with others, filed suit against Public.Resource.Org for publishing the full texts of various codes. PRO claims that, since these codes form part of US or state law, they are not eligible for copyright. In 2017, the courts granted a motion for summary judgment filed by a number of standard development organizations (SDOs), including NFPA, ASTM International and ASHRAE. The court’s ruling permanently enjoins the infringer from its previous systematic infringement of numerous SDO copyrighted codes and standards. The ruling vindicates the longstanding public-private partnership pursuant to which government entities may, if they choose, incorporate by reference high quality safety codes and standards. NFPA has provided free access to all of its codes and standards for more than a decade.