A definition:
to overcharge: “charge (someone) too high a price for goods or a service”.
Similar: swindle, cheat, defraud, gazump, fleece.
Another definition:
Overcharge is an economic term that refers to the difference between an observed market price and a price that would have been observed in the absence of collusion.
Collusion is a secret cooperation or deceitful agreement in order to deceive others, although not necessarily illegal, as is a conspiracy. A secret agreement between two or more parties to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair market advantage is an example of collusion.
Standard organizations like the IEC do not limit competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others of their legal rights. They invite NCs, sales outlets and resellers to sell standards. If anything, some of other parties may overcharge, because they are free to set a higher price if they wish.
Ironically, it is pirates that can be accused of limiting open competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others (standardization organizations) of their legal rights (to be paid in exchange for the value delivered).
Wikipedia explains:
Overcharge: “The word is also used (as verb and noun) to describe cases where more than an agreed or standard price is charged for goods or services in a transaction, as when a lawyer bills for more hours than actually worked, a restaurant bill includes items not ordered or is added incorrectly, a builder charges an unreasonable amount for repair work, and so on. Overcharging in this sense may in some cases be a criminal offence (charging for work not done), in others not (a high charge when a price was not agreed).“
– Wikipedia
None of this applies to the IEC.
The IEC does not charge more than the agreed standard price. It does not bill more hours than worked, it does not add items to a bill that were never ordered and so on.
The IEC always communicates the price in advance, either on the Webstore or on manual pro formas.
The irony
Ironically, there are some malicious pirates that fit the definition. When they sell pirated standards, they overcharge if they promise a valid licence, without actually being able to deliver a valid license.
Other malicious people pose as pirates, selling standards cheaper, without ever delivering them.
What do you think?