ISO/FDIS 15706-2

FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/FDIS
DRAFT
STANDARD 15706-2
ISO/TC 46/SC 9
Information and documentation —
Secretariat: ANSI
International Standard Audiovisual
Voting begins on:
2021-11-30 Number (ISAN) —
Voting terminates on:
Part 2:
2022-01-25
Version identifier
Information et documentation — Numéro international normalisé
d'oeuvre audiovisuelle (ISAN) —
Partie 2: Identifiant de version
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/FDIS 15706-2:2021(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. © ISO 2021
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ISO/FDIS 15706-2:2021(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2021

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may

be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on

the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Normative references ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Terms and definitions .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

4 Construction of the V-ISAN ........................................................................................................................................................................3

5 V-ISAN issuance ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

6 Affixing and displaying the V-ISAN .................................................................................................................................................. 4

7 V-ISAN system overview .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5

7.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

7.2 Registration Authority .................................................................................................................................................................... 6

7.3 Resolution service providers ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

7.4 Registrants ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

7.5 Delegation to ISAN Registration Agencies ..................................................................................................................... 8

8 Fees ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Annex A (normative) Criteria for assigning V-ISAN ..........................................................................................................................10

Annex B (normative) Check character for the V-ISAN ....................................................................................................................11

Annex C (normative) Binary encoding of V-ISAN .................................................................................................................................13

Annex D (informative) XML encoding of V-ISAN ...................................................................................................................................14

Annex E (normative) V-ISAN registration records .............................................................................................................................16

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................19

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards

bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out

through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical

committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International

organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are

described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of

patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of

any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and

expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to

the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation,

This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 15706-2:2007), of which it constitutes a

— the introduction has been revised to include information about Registration Agencies;

— the normative references have been updated to reflect the most current version of the standards;

— the definitions for V-ISAN Authority, V-ISAN distributed query system, and V-ISAN registration

— all references to the Registration Authority have been made to be generic throughout the document;

— a link to the ISO listing of Registration Authorities on the ISO website has been added;

— V-ISAN Authority has been changed to Registration Authority throughout the document;

— Clause 7 has been revised to remove references to specific Registration Authorities and Registration

— Annex E has been revised to remove references to specific Registration Authorities and Registration

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A

This document specifies the structure and basic criteria for the assignment of an identifier for versions

of audiovisual works and other content derived from or directly related to an audiovisual work. It

supplements the International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) specified in ISO 15706-1 and

provides a mechanism for identifying versions and related content of audiovisual works that have been

This document defines the version identifier component of the ISAN system, specifies the rules for

assignment of the ISAN version identifier, and the basic administration and registration procedures for

The Registration Authority for ISO 15706 is the entity charged with oversight of the ISAN version

identification system. The Registration Authority maintains a database of all version registration

records (the register), issues new version identifiers upon proper request, and establishes the necessary

The Registration Authority makes version registration and information retrieval services available

to those with a need to register new versions of audiovisual works or to obtain data about existing

registrations. The Registration Authority provides services to applicants for new ISAN version

The information contained in the version register is the minimum necessary to identify the versions to

which specific ISAN version identifiers apply. It is often desirable to make additional information about

the registered versions of audiovisual works available for access in a variety of ways. To enable the

association of such additional information with a version registration, mechanisms are provided to link

to entities providing access to that information. Those entities are called resolution service providers.

The version register itself is not intended for reverse lookups (where one requests the ISAN version

identifiers associated with specific metadata), but that does not preclude the Registration Authority

This document establishes a voluntary system for the identification of versions of audiovisual works

and other content derived from or closely related to an audiovisual work (see Annex A). It is based

on the International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) system defined in ISO 15706-1. An ISAN

combined with the version segment specified in Clause 4 constitutes an ISAN version identifier,

hereinafter referred to as a V-ISAN. A V-ISAN is a registered, globally unique identifier for versions of an

A V-ISAN identifies a specific version or other content related to an audiovisual work throughout its life.

It is intended for use wherever precise and unique identification of a specific version or other content

related to an audiovisual work would be desirable, such as in audiovisual production and distribution

systems, broadcasting applications, digital platforms and electronic program guides.

A V-ISAN identifies a specific version or other content related to an audiovisual work as the unique

compound of its component elements (e.g. its artistic content, languages, editing and technical format)

throughout its life and independent of any physical form in which that version or related content is

The assignment of a V-ISAN to a version or other content related to an audiovisual work does not

constitute evidence of the ownership of rights to either that version or related content or to the

This document specifies the basic systems and procedures to support the issuance and administration

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For

undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 639-2, Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 2: Alpha-3 code

ISO 3166-1, Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions — Part 1: Country

ISO/IEC 7064, Information technology — Security techniques — Check character systems

ISO 8601 (all parts), Date and time — Representations for information interchange

ISO 15706-1, Information and documentation — International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) —

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 15706-1 and the following

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

number allocated for the unique identification of an audiovisual work in accordance with ISO 15706

reserved V-ISAN (3.6) that has meaning only in the context of the organization that created it, is not

registered with the V-ISAN register and is not normally exchanged between entities

Note 1 to entry: Since different entities may assign the same private number to different versions of a work, these

entity that maintains and makes available a set of additional metadata associated with specific V-ISANs

Note 1 to entry: While the term resolution service provider is used in its singular form, there may be any number

Note 2 to entry: The provider optionally listed in the V-ISAN registration information is called the “designated”

particular aggregation of elements that affects the content of an audiovisual work

Note 1 to entry: Any change that affects the content of an audiovisual work (e.g., artistic content, language,

editing or technical format) and which requires separate identification for the use or exploitation of that specific

content can be treated as a new version for the purposes of assigning a V-ISAN. See Annex A.

unique identifier composed of a registered ISAN (3.1) in combination with an appended version segment

for a specific version or other content derived from or directly related to an audiovisual work, and

Note 1 to entry: V-ISAN metadata (3.8) includes information such as the associated ISAN, the V-ISAN registration

information, and descriptive information related to the audiovisual work or unique to that version of the

database of registered V-ISANs (3.6) and the associated V-ISAN metadata (3.8) necessary for the

Note 1 to entry: The V-ISAN registrant can be the original applicant or the entity currently responsible for

administrative class of V-ISAN metadata (3.8) that uniquely identifies the V-ISAN registrant (3.10) and

provides other pertinent information required for administration of the V-ISAN system

4.1 A V-ISAN assigned to a version of an audiovisual work or to a related content entity shall

incorporate the ISAN for the audiovisual work from which that version or related content is derived.

4.2 A V-ISAN shall consist of a 64-bit ISAN that has been registered in accordance with ISO 15706-1,

followed by a 32-bit version segment. When represented using hexadecimal digits, this is equivalent to

an ISAN of 16 characters followed by a version segment of eight characters, using Arabic numerals 0 to

4.3 As an aid to accurate transcription of V-ISAN in human-readable form (i.e. a form meant primarily

to be read or written by a person such as on labels, physical carriers, technical documentation, etc., in

contrast to a form primarily meant to be used by data processing equipment), a V-ISAN shall be preceded

by the letters ISAN and include the check characters for both the ISAN segment and the V-ISAN as a

whole (see Annex B). Further, it should be separated into groups after every four hexadecimal digits or

check character using either a blank space or a hyphen. No internal meaning shall be ascribed to any

— “RRRR-RRRR-RRRR-EEEE” represents a registered ISAN for a specific audiovisual work.

1) When presented in hexadecimal form, an ISAN is composed of a 12-character root segment (“RRRR-RRRR-

RRRR”) followed by a four-character segment (“EEEE”) for the identification of episodes or parts of an audiovisual

— “X” represents the check character for that ISAN, calculated in accordance with ISO 15706.

— “VVVV-VVVV” represents the version identifier segment linked to that ISAN. (The combination of the ISAN

— “Y” represents the check digit for that V-ISAN. It is computed over the positions labelled “R”, “E” and “V”. The

position labelled “X” is not included in the computation of “Y”. Figure B.1 shows the range of positions covered

4.4 To avoid confusion, a V-ISAN version segment of 0 (i.e. 0000-0000) shall be treated as an ISAN

4.5 V-ISAN version segment range 1 (0000 0001 in hexadecimal) to 4 026 531 839 (EFFF FFFF in

hexadecimal) are public numbers and shall be issued from and tracked within the V-ISAN register.

4.6 V-ISAN version segment range 4 026 531 840 (F000 0000 in hexadecimal) to 4 294 967 295

(FFFF FFFF in hexadecimal) are reserved for private numbers and shall not be issued from within

the V-ISAN register. This corresponds to version segments where the first four bits are 1111 (i.e.,

hexadecimal value F). Private numbers are reserved solely for internal applications (e.g., to track

internal edits during the preparation of a version for public release) as determined by a V-ISAN

registrant who may self-assign such V-ISANs on a non-registered basis. Any time a V-ISAN with a

private number is encountered external to the organization that created it, it shall be treated as if it has

4.7 It is not meaningful to express information on a version or related content entity without reference

to a specific audiovisual work. Therefore, the version segment shall only appear in conjunction with the

ISAN for the work in question and in the form of a V-ISAN. The version segment of a V-ISAN shall have

4.8 A V-ISAN shall signify only that it is a globally unique identifier that has been registered with an

5.1 A V-ISAN shall be issued only in reference to a valid ISAN registered in the ISAN system in

5.3 Applicants for V-ISAN shall provide all of the registration data required by the Registration

Authority prior to being issued a V-ISAN. The Registration Authority shall ensure that required

registration data (see Annex E) is recorded in the V-ISAN register for each V-ISAN issued.

5.4 A V-ISAN may be assigned before, during, or after the production of the associated version of an

audiovisual work, providing that the source work has been assigned an ISAN that is valid.

6.1 The V-ISAN for a version or content entity related to an audiovisual work shall be incorporated

permanently in, or affixed to, all occurrences of that specific version or content entity to the extent that

6.2 The V-ISAN should be included in the documentation, advertising and packaging associated with

6.3 The inclusion of a V-ISAN with a version of an audiovisual work shall conform to the specifications

6.4 The characters A to F appearing in a V-ISAN and A to Z appearing in either check character should

be displayed in upper-case letters when the V-ISAN is presented in human-readable form. However, the

lower-case and upper-case forms of these characters shall be treated as equivalent.

6.5 If a version of an audiovisual work is issued in a specific product item that has its own product

numbering system (e.g., a Global Trade Item Number of the EAN.UCC system), the V-ISAN shall

be displayed on the container and/or packaging of that product immediately below and clearly

6.6 Further details regarding methods of affixing a V-ISAN to a version of an audiovisual work are

At the centre of the V-ISAN system is the Registration Authority, the entity responsible for overseeing

the V-ISAN system. The Registration Authority maintains a register of all V-ISAN registration records,

issues new V-ISANs upon proper request, and establishes the necessary operational policies and

The V-ISAN system shall work cooperatively with the ISAN system. Many V-ISAN functions require the

— V-ISANs cannot be issued unless the associated ISAN has already been issued and is valid;

— V-ISAN registration records contain information about the version, but not about the work upon

NOTE The dashed lines indicate communication paths connecting to the resolution service provider(s).

V-ISAN users conduct their business through the Registration Authority who process all V-ISAN

registration (issuance) requests, registration record updates, and V-ISAN registration data queries

The V-ISAN is a version identifier; it is not an exhaustive descriptive data repository. When users need

information that is not part of the registration record, and therefore not part of the V-ISAN system

metadata, they need to contact a resolution service provider. The V-ISAN registration record contains

the Internet domain name or intellectual property (IP) address of the designated resolution service

provider for each V-ISAN (if the V-ISAN’s registrant has provided one). This, or any other resolution

service provider, may then be contacted via a defined syntax to obtain further descriptive data related

The various entities interact with one another in different ways depending on the system action. The

exact steps in each system action may differ depending on the specifics of the situation, but in general,

all entities should use XML as their electronic encoding specification when exchanging data.

The name and contact information of the Registration Authority for this standard can be found at

7.2.1 The Registration Authority for this document shall operate on an international basis.

a) The Registration Authority shall conform fully with the specifications of ISO 15706 (all parts) for

b) The Registration Authority shall ensure efficient management of the V-ISAN number space.

c) The Registration Authority shall maintain the V-ISAN register and all supporting systems and

d) The Registration Authority shall make freely available the specifications for the V-ISAN reference

XML metadata schema and a command and response syntax for accessing V-ISAN registers and

e) The Registration Authority shall provide a mapping that relates the V-ISAN reference metadata

f) The Registration Authority shall establish and maintain the policies, procedures, guidelines and

service level agreements necessary to support this document and ensure that the V-ISAN system

1) the specific contents of the V-ISAN register, including all data that are necessary for the proper

i) all ISANs issued and their present status as per the Registration Authority, and

2) uni-directional and bi-directional system protocols, including at least the V-ISAN metadata

g) The Registration Authority shall establish a dispute resolution and appeals process to accept and

respond to service complaints and disputes concerning V-ISAN policies and practices of the V-ISAN

7.2.3 The Registration Authority shall perform the following functions related to V-ISAN registration

c) undertake reasonable steps to ensure the completeness of the registrant information and not

d) ensure that the V-ISAN register is updated within time limits it has specified;

e) develop procedures and electronic systems that support at least the following actions performed

3) obtain a copy of all registration records for which the requesting entity is the registrant,

f) provide electronic systems that respond efficiently and accurately to queries with at least the

1) descriptive information for the ISAN (see ISO 15706-1:2022, Annex D) associated with a V-ISAN,

2) a designated portion of the current registration record information (see Annex E) for a V-ISAN,

3) the domain name or IP address for the designated resolution service provider of the V-ISAN (if