Concerns with implementing patented technology in W3C standard

Good afternoon.  I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the proposed
change in position regarding patented technologies in W3C standards.

As a long time internet user, I have come to realize the importance of
freely implementable and open technologies as the primary factor in the
scalability, reliability, and openness of the Internet.  Since the
beginnings of the global internet, the IETF has relied on open and freely
available standards to ensure compatibility and security in the core
functionality of the internet.  Tools such as Sendmail, BIND, and other core
technologies all rely on the existence of a free and open standard.  If
patented technologies had been allowed in the critical RFCs implemented by
these products, these carrier class free applications would have never been
created.  How much would such a situation have stifled the growth of the
internet?

Any patent encumbered technology, regardless of licensing scenario,
prohibits the creation of freely available open source implementations of
the technology.  When this happens, the internet is no longer open, and a
key insurance policy of free implementations of core standards in lost
forever.

I urge the W3C to avoid placing control the web solely in the hands of
for-profit corporations.  The web is about freedom and innovation, and the
policy proposal effectively cripples both.

Regards,

John Anderson

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 14:44:58 UTC