- From: Tex Horning <tex_h@pacbell.net>
- Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 14:10:26 -0700
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
Dear Consortium --- I am opposed to any adoption of standards using patented standards. The basis of my opinion is clearly stated in Dan Gillmor's column as printed in the San Jose Mercury News on October 7, 2001. Let me write a short quote from that article w.r.t the proposed standards: "This is a grtesque idea, and it would damage the foundations of the open, royalty-free standards that have marked the rise of the Net as a useful part of our lives." I have just now looked over the proposed standard and some of the associated discussion and I find no evidence whatever that patented standards are necessary or that future patents will not be able to be circumvented. The main effect of such an adoption would seem to limit the number and quality of software developers in the way that the current patents on gif formats and limitations on cryptography do at present. The w3 consortiim should find ways to avoid these problems in the future, not exacerbate them. Peace, --- Tex Horning msg phone: 408 534-1153 e-mail: tex@pchem.net
Received on Thursday, 11 October 2001 17:08:28 UTC