- From: Steve Jorgensen <jorgens@coho.net>
- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 14:36:19 -0700
- To: "'www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org'" <www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org>
Quote from "Linux Today" followed by my comments: ---------- The W3C has recognised the pressures from (some of) its members to be able to exploit the potentially lucrative Internet-related patents they have been accumulating. There appears to be a resignation that it may be better for the W3C to promote standards that have non-free conditions attached rather than to receive no consensus on potential recommendations. ---------- In my opinion, this threatens to weaken the status of the W3C and force the development of a new body to promote free standards. If I wanted to write free software to perform a function considered high-level, I could not do so using a W3C standard that required the payment of a license fee. Also, under RAND conditions, there would be no possibility of obtaining a waiver. In my opinion, if there is no way to reach a concensus on a particular standard without allowing for the requirement of a licensing fee, then the W3C should not produce a standard. As always, any company can try to have their own proprietary process become a de facto industry standard without the saction of a W3C endorsement. I don't see why the W3C should be used as advertising for a proprietary standard that profits one company in particular.
Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 17:33:40 UTC