Just to trivialize this thread a little: it occurs to me that for a brief period there was harmony between the 2 big component makers (Big C and Bigger S) and LOOK, the first (viable) clipless pedal...and it was all because they followed the LOOK standard for cleat design. So brief...there's no standardization in that area anymore!
(I still have a pair of the Shimano pedals that use the LOOK cleats, and they still work fine).