W3C standards shaped by members' patents

Dear Committee,

I am disturbed by your approach to patent policy. The question of whether 
the W3C, an organization supposedly devoted to open standards, should 
utilize patented resources at all has not be addressed. Surely the first 
step in the  patent policy procedure is examining if and why patented 
material should be allowed at all.

A commitment to RAND will affect all WGs, including those operation under 
RF licenses. Why? Because part of the policy allows WGs to change their 
licensing modes. What developer will feel comfortable working with RF 
standards, when she knows that they could easily be rechartered, costing 
her licensing fees or perhaps a lawsuit? The W3C jeopardizes all its work 
done thus far with this proposal.

Finally, I question the motivation for this patent policy. As has been 
noted in many posts, the members who worked on the policy are all large 
companies who are generating patentable material. If the W3C promotes RAND, 
then its members are highly motivated to construct standards around 
patentable material they have produced, for their own benefit.

I hope that the committee will reconsider the patent policy.

Sue Butler
independent developer


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Received on Tuesday, 2 October 2001 13:14:10 UTC