- From: El-Gayar, Omar <Omar.El-Gayar@dsu.edu>
- Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 12:16:14 -0500
- To: "'www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org'" <www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org>
I cannot believe this is even proposed. With this patent arrangement, it is no longer an open standard. While patents are designed to protect the inventor, thereby creating an incentive for inventors (and potential inventors) to pursue their ideas, I do not think it can be created at this scale, i.e., in standards. Standards always existed without patents. It existed out of a recognized need by industry leaders that it is to the benefit of all stakeholders. In other words, the incentives for creating standards exist and I fail to envision the need to further strengthening the incentives using patents. On the other side, including patents in standards can be indeed harmful. With the commercialization of standards through patents, very few companies (if not one) will end up controlling the entire industry, thereby hindering innovation over the long run. Moreover, the stakes will be much higher. For those companies that already a patent, having their patent included in the standard is know more important than ever. These companies will tend to engage in rent-seeking lobbying activities resulting in overall inefficiencies. To conclude, do NOT do it. The incentives for standards are already there. Omar
Received on Friday, 12 October 2001 13:18:54 UTC