- From: sue butler <s_e_butler@yahoo.com>
- Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 13:14:04 -0400
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
Dear Committee, I am disturbed by your approach to patent policy. The question of whether the W3C, an organization supposedly devoted to open standards, should utilize patented resources at all has not be addressed. Surely the first step in the patent policy procedure is examining if and why patented material should be allowed at all. A commitment to RAND will affect all WGs, including those operation under RF licenses. Why? Because part of the policy allows WGs to change their licensing modes. What developer will feel comfortable working with RF standards, when she knows that they could easily be rechartered, costing her licensing fees or perhaps a lawsuit? The W3C jeopardizes all its work done thus far with this proposal. Finally, I question the motivation for this patent policy. As has been noted in many posts, the members who worked on the policy are all large companies who are generating patentable material. If the W3C promotes RAND, then its members are highly motivated to construct standards around patentable material they have produced, for their own benefit. I hope that the committee will reconsider the patent policy. Sue Butler independent developer _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Received on Tuesday, 2 October 2001 13:14:10 UTC