RAND patent licensing

I strenuously object to the proposal to permit royalty fees to be charged for Web-standard technologies. I urge W3C to continue to require royalty-free licensing as a prerequisite for all Web standards.

I submit that "reasonable and non-discriminatory" is an oxymoron, because it does not take into account that what is reasonable varies according to the resources of the payer of the fee. RAND licensing will move the Web from its free and open tradition, the very basis of its success, to one that favors large patent holders and large developers able to pay high ("reasonable") fees. This will lock out a large, important segment of the developer community, including small, innovative companies and academia.

It is evident that W3C wishes to avoid taking a stance on the issue of software patents, but it is also clear that they stifle creativity and retard development for the narrow profit of patent holders at the expense of the larger community.

Please reject RAND licensing for the Web.

Received on Sunday, 7 October 2001 11:47:38 UTC