Current W3C proposal for Patent Policy changes

Given the amount of time that I have had to look into the proposal, having just learned of it today, I will keep my comments brief. The spectre of including patented technologies with licensing fees in the infrastructure of the WWW, regardless of the RAND licencing policy, gives moment for pause.  Why? Because it has the potential to fundamentally alter the way in which that infrastructure evolves.   I find the vagueness of the "Reasonable" licensing costs very disturbing.  Who is to decide what is reasonable? Further, must I, as an individual, be subject to licensing fees in order to contribute to or participate in the WWW of the future?  Will the Apache's and Xerces of the future be subject to licensing fees if they must support the deFacto standard of SuperXML 1.0 (this is of course, just a made up standard) ? Analogously, do I currently, or will I have tointhe future pay to implement an IP stack?  The digital legal landscape is changing with increasing rapidity, in directions that may be ill-considered.  Precedents set may have profound implications.  I implore you as a body that has, until now, fostered the growth and openness of the WWW and served as a model to the Internet coummunity, to tread carefully and deliberately in this matter.

Thank you for your time,

Erik L. Grimes