RAND will be disastrous for the web

Dear W3C Members,

Implemention of any patent standards other than a royalty-free scheme will
destroy the web as we know it. Dramatic? Yes, but essentially true. The very
foundation of the web is that its standards are open and free. Allowing
companies to patent web standards and charge royalties will mean that only
those companies (certainly almost NO individuals) with the massive finanical
resources and willingness to spend them on royalty payments will be able to
use standards that should be free. New development will be stifled and
advances in web technology will grind to a halt.

There can be no choice but to maintain web standards as royalty free.

Sincerely,

Steven Jarvis
Web Developer
The Morning News
NWAonline.net

Received on Friday, 5 October 2001 11:11:27 UTC