- From: Mike Brodbelt <mike@coruscant.demon.co.uk>
- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 22:44:46 +0000
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
Dear W3C members, I am writing to express my concern at the proposed changes to the W3C's policy regarding the development of future standards. The W3C has always been a body that has promoted standards, in order to provide a level playing field for interoperability between competing implementations. It is in the interests of all users of the World Wide Web that standards be set to provide a yardstick against which implementations can be measured. For the W3C to permit the inclusion of technologies which require payment of royalties, into standards is a great disservice to all web users. Furthermore, to allow companies who fail to disclose patents held on technologies being considered for inclusion, to then retroactively seek compensation from implementors after a standard has been ratified, is unconscionable. In my opinion, the W3C has a responsibility to ensure that the standards process remains free of technologies that are thus encumbered. Only technologies that are royalty free should be considered for inclusion into proposed standards. If the W3C fails to enforce freedom from royalties, they will effectively prevent non-corporate bodies from providing competing implementations of standards, and encourage more of the obnoxious behaviour seen from companies such as Unisys, with regard to the GIF patent. As an IT professional with responsibility for choosing technology for my companies' web presence, I will always choose free and open standards over those encumbered by intellectual property taxes. As the body responsible for the Web's standards, the W3C should put the best interests of the web's user base ahead of the profit margins of corporate interests, and reject the proposals to permit RAND licensed technologies for inclusion in standards. Mike Brodbelt. Director, Midgard Consultancy.
Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 18:49:52 UTC