Don't include patented technology in W3C standards!

I can't tell you how outraged I am that the W3C is considering the use of 
patented technologies, with royalties attached, in future standards.

You state in your Patent Policy FAQ that:

> A variety of industry factors suggest that patent
> processes will increasingly affect the Web.

While this is true, but it is a *very* negative trend, and I fear it may lead 
to the further monopolization of the Web by a few large companies and 
whichever other companies they *choose* to allow to compete with them. To 
give large corporations such control over the Web is unconscionable... and 
it's exactly what they would like to see happen.

Although patented technology is important on the Web, it IMPERATIVE that
1) it be kept out of standards so that its use is not required, and
2) efforts are made to scale back dependency on it, not encourage it.

W3C should send the message that if companies wish their innovations to 
become part of industry-wide standards they must make them absolutely free 
for industry-wide use, not keep strings attached that allow them to unravel 
the foundation of the standards.

Thank you for your consideration of my viewpoint.

Nathan Culwell-Kanarek
nculwell@pyro.net

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 13:02:08 UTC