- From: Antaeus Feldspar <feldspar@ix.netcom.com>
- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 19:46:54 -0300
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
This would be a more organized missive if I hadn't discovered that the W3C was considering RAND licensing on the very day that the request for public comments closed. The W3C must not start promoting standards that are not freely available to all. Why not? Because they are the only group with significant influence that is not doing so now. The companies that are members of the W3C are fully capable of protecting their own interests; they are fully capable of using powerful marketing departments to promote their proprietary technologies, and make individual consumers decide, "Yes, that is something *I* need as part of my Web experience." They are capable of using their marketing departments to make consumers view their products as "standards". They should not have the W3C assisting them in this. These companies do not *need* the W3C to promote their commercial interests. The people who *do* need the W3C are those who do not have big marketing departments because they are not out for profit. The infrastructure of the Web is too important to be left only to those trying to get rich from it. -jc
Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 19:49:37 UTC