- From: Paul Tichonczuk <pault@novator.com>
- Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 15:09:10 -0400
- To: <www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org>
Hello, I have recently been made aware of the Patent Policy Framework (RAND proposal). I have been a web designer for many years. The thought of anyone.. .big or small holding royalty patents for ANY standard adopted by the W3C a scary thought. The foundation of the internet is based on (almost) free access to it and the great possibilities that it holds for the average person and the large corporation. Your proposal would potentially lock out the "user". The millions of people that have made the internet what it is today could be effectively locked out by the whims of a large corporation or organisation. Though I'm sure that is not your intention, there are companies that I am sure would go to great lengths to take any advantage given to them to exploit a monopoly on the internet. This cannot happen. The WWW must remain free for all. I and the company I work for (though am not representing here) use open source software. Patented material does not make it into open source software because there is no one to pay the royalties. This would create a rift in the net. Those that use commercial software, and those that use community driver open source software such as us. The WWW is supposed to be a unifying force, not a dividing one. There are many website articles that I agree with and state my point of view very nicely: http://www.webstandards.org/opinion.html http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-patentpolicy-comment/2001Oct/0018.ht ml Please sit back and consider what you are doing to the WWW. And the new era that you could possibly brining in with this policy. --- Paul Tichonczuk - Disc space -- the final frontier!
Received on Tuesday, 9 October 2001 15:12:06 UTC