Late comment on patents in W3 standards

Dear Sirs !

I apologize for this feedback arriving late. But as many have pointed
out already, the very fact that you where having a feedback-period for
such a disastrous proposal has not been widely recognized in the Free
Software community until very recently.

I know the original comment-period expired septhember 30th, but I'm
still sending this, hoping that you'll choose to follow the advice of
multiple commenters and extend the deadline.

I am a programmer, student of computer science, and Free Software user.

I feel that the proposal to allow patented techniques to be included in
W3 standards under RAND-licensing is disastrous. per-seat or per-copy
fees are fundamentally incompatible to Open Source and Free Software
programs, such as the ones I use to write this email.

The best thing about the web is that it allows free access for all,
regardless of financial situation and allows everyone to contribute.

With RAND-licensing only those who can pay can participate. This can
only benefit a few large tech-companies who own the patents, while
hurting everyone else.

Please reconsider !


Sincerely,
	Eivind Kjørstad

Received on Monday, 1 October 2001 13:39:39 UTC