- From: David Thede <thede@dtsearch.com>
- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 14:24:31 -0400
- To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
- Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20010930140645.03e077c8@mail80816.popserver.pop.net>
As many others have pointed out, this is a terrible idea that will burden open source development and provide a small number of patent-holding corporations with the power to extort unearned revenues and to limit software development for the web. The "RAND" concept is nothing more than a thin pretext for the authors of this abuse to hide behind. What is the burning need that makes this outcome so necessary? Is there some crucial patented technology that will make the web so much better than it is today? No, it is just organizations that have been entrusted with the power to make standards abusing that power for their own benefit. Who? This list of authors is instructive: Michele Herman, Microsoft, micheleh@microsoft.com Scott Peterson, Hewlett-Packard, scott_k_peterson@hp.com Tony Piotrowski, Philips, tony.piotrowski@philips.com Barry Rein, Pennie & Edmonds (for W3C), barry@pennie.com Daniel Weitzner, W3C/MIT, djweitzner@w3.org Helene Plotka Workman, Apple Computer, plotka@apple.com The Unisys/GIF experience tells us all we need to know about the value of patents in web standards. This is not about innovation, is about monopolization and legal trickery. Open source software and free and open standards are the foundation of the web. A W3C that abandons this foundation to help a few corporations obtain private advantage will only make itself irrelevant. Finally, if the W3C decides to ignore the overwhelming majority of the comments and proceed with this, here is another suggestion: Each participating organization should have a good law firm review those reassuring commitments in the policy to see just how binding they will really be. I doubt that Apple and HP have a clue what they are getting themselves into here, and it would not be surprising if one of the participants has given much more thought to the legal technicalities than the others. David Thede President dtSearch Corp.
Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 14:24:38 UTC