Comment on patent policy

As a professional software developer making a living from being able to develop platform-agnostic applications for the 
web, I am extremely alarmed to see the W3C's proposed stance on patents. With the proposed changes in place the 
web will become more and more a showcase for large corporations and will extinguish the independence and 
innovation that have made the internet freely accessibly to anyone with a web browser of any flavour and a dial-up 
account.

Indeed, with the proposals in place the web risks becoming a tool of a few corporations and innovation will largely be 
shut down. After a while, the W3C itself will cease to be relevant. It seems hard to believe that this is intention.

I urge you, therefore, to reject these proposals and show your organisation to
be one of integrity; be proud that you are not just another tool of big business.

Regards,

Aaron Claessens

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 15:19:18 UTC