Keep patented technologies out of W3C standards

Good afternoon. I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the proposed 
change in position regarding patented technologies in W3C standards.

As a long time internet user, I have come to realize the importance of 
freely implementable and open technologies as the primary factor in the 
scalability, reliability, and openness of the Internet. Since the 
beginnings of the global internet, the IETF has relied on open and freely 
available standards to ensure compatibility and security in the core 
functionality of the internet. Tools such as Sendmail, BIND, and other core 
technologies all rely on the existence of a free and open standard. If 
patented technolgies had been allowed in the critical RFCs implemented by 
these products, these carrier class free applications would have never been 
created. How much would such a situation have stifiled the growth of the 
internet?

Any patent incumbered technology, regardless of licensing scenario, 
prohibits the creation of freely available open source implementations of 
the techonogy. When this happens, the internet is no longer open, and a key 
insurance policy of free implementations of core standards in lost forever.

I urge the W3C to avoid placing control the web solely in the hands of 
for-profit corporations. The web is about freedom and innovation, and the 
policy proposal effectively cripples both.

Thank you,

Michael Patrick