Digital object identifier (DOI) becomes an ISO standard.

A new International Standard that provides a system for assigning a unique international identification code to objects for use on digital networks is expected to bring benefits for publishers, information managers, multi-media distributors, archive and cultural heritage communities, and the internet technology industry.

Published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization), ISO 26324:2012, Information and documentation -- Digital object identifier system, is an efficient means of identifying an entity over the Internet and used primarily for sharing with an interested user community or managing as intellectual property.
A DOI name is an identifier of an entity – physical, digital or abstract – on digital networks. It provides information about that object, including where the object, or information about it, can be found on the Internet.“Hence the DOI system is designed as a generic framework applicable to any digital object, providing a structured, extensible means of identification, description and resolution.”

“The DOI system is designed for interoperability: that is to use, or work with, existing identifier and metadata schemes. DOI names may also be expressed as a URL, an e-mail address, other identifiers and descriptive metadata.”

The DOI system was initiated by the International DOI Foundation (a not-for profit member-based organization initiated by several publishing organizations) in 1998. The International DOI Foundation is the Registration Authority for ISO 26324. To date, some 60 million DOI names have been assigned to date, through a growing federation of Registration Agencies around the world.

More information is available on the Website of the International DOI Foundation, including a list of frequently asked questions: www.doi.org