The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is a non-profit organisation to promote and support the Universal Serial Bus

Universal Serial Bus

USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....

. Its main activities are the promotion and marketing of USB, Wireless USB, USB On-The-Go, and the maintenance of the specifications, as well as a compliance program.

It was formed in 1995 by the group of companies that developed USB. Notable members include Apple Computer

Apple Computer

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...

, Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

, NEC, Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

, Intel, and Agere Systems

Agere Systems

Agere Systems Inc. was an integrated circuit components company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Spun out of Lucent Technologies in 2002, Agere was merged into LSI Corporation in 2007....

.

The working committees within USB-IF are:

• Device Working Group
• Compliance Committee
• Marketing Committee
• On-The-Go Working Group

The USB-IF web caters for Developers who can freely sign up to the Developer web-Forums and access documentation, however to join a working group one has to work for a member company or register as a member. The developer forums cover USB hard and software development and is not an end-user Forum.

Obtaining a vendor ID

A vendor ID is necessary for developing a USB product. The USB-IF is responsible for issuing USB vendor ID's to product manufacturers. Despite the purported non-profit nature of this organisation, the cost for simply issuing this number is a minimum of US$2,000. Additionally, if a manufacturer of a USB device wishes to use the Logo then this becomes a 2-year licensing fee. Some microcontroller manufacturers offer a free or low cost sublicense of their Vendor ID for development/testing and limited production (generally under 10,000 units). Vendors offering this free service include:

• Dream S.A.S.
• FTDI
  FTDI
  Future Technology Devices International, commonly known by its initialization, FTDI, is a Scottish privately traded semiconductor device company, specializing in Universal Serial Bus technology...
  
  
• Luminary Micro
  Luminary Micro
  Luminary Micro was a company based in Austin. It was acquired by Texas Instruments for an undisclosed amount in 2009....
  
  
• Microchip
  Microchip Technology
  Microchip Technology is an American manufacturer of microcontroller, memory and analog semiconductors. Its products include microcontrollers , Serial EEPROM devices, Serial SRAM devices, KEELOQ devices, radio frequency devices, thermal, power and battery management analog devices, as well as...
  
  
• Silicon Labs
• ST Microelectronics
• Texas Instruments
  Texas Instruments
  Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
  
  

See also

• Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)
• USB
• Wireless USB
  Wireless USB
  Wireless USB is a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless radio communication protocol created by the . Wireless USB is sometimes abbreviated as "WUSB", although the USB Implementers Forum discourages this practice and instead prefers to call the technology "Certified Wireless USB" to distinguish it...
  
  
• USB On-The-Go
  USB On-The-Go
  USB On-The-Go, often abbreviated USB OTG, is a specification that allows USB devices such as digital audio players or mobile phones to act as a host allowing a USB Flash Drive, mouse, or keyboard to be attached.- Architecture :...