You should look up the word standard

The word standard means something that is used universally.

If something is a standard it could mean that it would be impossible to use
the Web without the ability to make use of that standard. A person could be
rendered unable to use the web because they could not afford the price of
use that someone placed on the use of their patent.  This would create a
group of have and have nots on the internet.  This could price some people
out of the use certain technologies.

Worse some people may unwittingly use a patented technology because it is
buried deep in their standard where the user did not see it and they
unwittingly became liable for costs that could bankrupt them, just because
they surf the web.

With interacting technologies such as web services, it is a possible that a
patent holder could be in a situation where they could charge EVERY user of
the internet because somehow all activity touches their patent in some fine
print in their patent that was never completely divulged or realized until
after the standard is set.

This could price third world nations and start up companies right out of the
internet.

Patents only protect the patent holder, not the user of the technology.  All
users lose in this scenario.

By allowing patented technologies into the standard you are giving them a
weapon to hold the internet hostage.

I hope you think long and hard of the implications and do not give up our
freedoms to a few greedy patent holders.

Thank you,


Marshall Brandt
mbrandt@suscom.net