Why I Discourage Patented Standards

• From: Sean <lakese@sas.upenn.edu>
• Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 13:15:42 -0400
• To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
• Message-Id: <200109301715.f8UHFe027765@orion.sas.upenn.edu>

Setting a still patented technology as a standard would only make the 
broken patent and copyright system worse. Copyrights are supposed to 
offer a monopoly that is both limited in scope and duration. Both of 
those limits have been stretched extensively in recent years, and 
standardizing on a patented technology would only make it worse. 
Standardizing on a patented technology would effectively extend the 
patent holder's monopoly to all technologies of the same type, 
discouraging competition and increasing cost to consumers.

  Please, only standardize technologies that are open and free to 
everyone.

Thank you for your time,
Sean Lake

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 13:15:41 UTC