W3C Patent Policy

I'm sure the W3C has had replies of all sorts containing negative 
responses to the idea of allowing patented technology to be introduced 
into standards. I know there is not much more that I can say to help 
convince the W3C that the nature of this idea, in and of itself, is 
unacceptable. I don't know if my comments are any better than others', 
and I write to the W3C simply to be a part of a [hopefully] large 
collective voice which may have a chance of convincing the W3C to keep 
all standards open and free.

We live in a world today where the freedoms of people, at least in 
America, appear to be slowly eroding due to the activities of large 
corporations using licensing and patents for obvious technologies for 
purely financial gain. I am not going to go off on a tangent about 
corporate America. It [corporate America] does some good, but at the 
same time, it ignores the founding principles of this country.

The internet is the new symbol of freedom in this world. I would like to 
urge the W3C to keep the standards that the internet uses to communicate 
based solely on open and free technology. I would rather pay a fee to 
keep a non-profit organization controlling the standards in business 
than pay some corporation to use their proprietary technology.



Thank you for your consideration.

Gabriel Ricard

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 14:00:03 UTC