Firmly against standards 'patents'

Hello.

I've read--with not a little horror--that the World Wide Web Consortium is
considering 'patenting' web standards. I would like to point out that the
notion is ridiculous and unenforceable. Worse, it will encourage developers
to use non-standard, perhaps proprietary web formats in order to avoid
ridiculous fees.

I find it breath-taking that after years of delay, developers are finally
taking the notion of standards compliance seriously; and you make this move.
It's wrong-headed, it's crass, and ultimately if you adopt this strategy you
will heap an unbelievable amount of scorn upon yourself. And I'll be one of
the first with a big shovel.

Best,

Ray Drainville
Director
_____________________________________________________
Argument from Design-Web & Multimedia
Western House 239 Western Road Sheffield S10 1LE UK
Phone: 44 (0) 114 266 7712
ray@ardes.com | http://www.ardes.com

Received on Monday, 1 October 2001 14:43:27 UTC