- From: Justin Seiferth <seiferth@yahoo.com>
- Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 18:08:10 -0400
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
I am a member of the general committee of a large and long lasting standards body associated with avionics for commercial aircraft. Periodically, the business managers of participating organizations will introduce technology into the standards process which has an associated licensing arrangement. These introductions are always immediately and resoundingly rejected by the voting members of the general commitee- myself included. Aside the from the conflict of interest problems inherent with the possibility of voting members or subcommitee chairs receiving favors from sponsoring organizations or the political conflicts which would develop were such proposals to go unchallenged, we also worried about the stifling effect on innovation such an arrangement would impose. How would small companies break into a market whose entry barriers were gradually raised through the widespread introduction of proprietary licensing arrangements? Why should the friction of legal arrangements be added to the already difficult problems of developing consensus within the standards body? What is a "standard" which incorporates technologies not available to all? These are difficult questions and ones whose answers only indicate the surface of the problems which might develop. Further, there is no benefit to the consumer or members of the consortium. Communication and cooperation is reduced as members would stiffle communications which might reveal the potential for licensing arrangements if other members became aware of technology before licensing and the standards discussions would begin far to late in the product cycle for up to date equipment to be fielded in a timely fashion. It invites members of the organization to appropriate community ideas and claim intellectual property rights on community property forcing the organization to abandon previous agreements or challenge the claim in court. I hope you will take a page from the lessons we have learned and summarily reject the notion that any licensed or proprietary technology be admitted to standards of any sort. To do otherwise is the abandon any goodwill or moral perogative a standards body may have and throw away all the benefits of your prior work. It would mean the beginning of the end for your organization. vr/ Justin Seiferth
Received on Thursday, 4 October 2001 18:08:31 UTC