Please keep the web OPEN

Dear Sirs,

I want to express my concerns that the new RAND licensing model will 
lead to a web of proprietary standards that can only be accessed with 
closed-source commercial software, and not with secure, open, free 
software. I therefore strongly oppose the RAND model and ask you to 
drop the proposal in the interest of keeping the official web 
standards framework open and interoperable. I refer you to

http://www.openphd.net/W3C_Patent_Policy

for an analysis of the problems that could result from the new patent 
policy.

I also ask you to prolong the feedback period because of the lack of 
media coverage RAND has received. Please give people additional time 
to react to the proposal and to send in more detailed counter-
analysis. 

Please be aware that the Internet community will likely react 
strongly against W3C if RAND is implemented.

Sincerely,

Erik Moeller
Journalist

-- 
Scientific Reviewer, Freelancer, Humanist -- Berlin/Germany
Phone: +49-30-45491008 - Web: <http://www.humanist.de/erik>
The Origins of Peace and Violence: <http://www.violence.de>

"If we don't improve our ability to deal collectively with complex
things, as the problems grow more urgent, we're in trouble."
 - Douglas Engelbart

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 12:09:04 UTC