NO to RAND

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Dear W3,
	As a programmer, I absolutely and totally opposed the option of allowing 
RAND patents to be part of W3 standards.  Such a change could kill software 
development by creating a 'standard' which is monopolized by a company, then 
raising the price of entry for the standard.  

	In your consensus points, you state that 'recommendations addressing 
higher-level services...may have a higher tolerance for RAND terms.'  This 
consensus is very short-sighted.  What is a higher-level service now will 
become the basis for even higher-level services in the future.  Putting these 
on a RAND basis will greatly limit the chances of developing these 
higher-level services.

	Millions of server and client computers (including the one that I am on 
right now) depend on the free availability of W3 standards.  A move to make 
some standards depend on proprietary, patented algorithms will kill this 
vibrant industry.  

		-- Brent Edwards
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Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 14:49:01 UTC