RAND considered harmful

Even "reasonable and non-discriminatory" patent licensing policies do,
in practice, discriminate.  They discriminate against free software
projects by independent developers, the source of most innovation.  The
results for the Web would be obvious and catastrophic: a consolidation
of power and control in the hands of large corporate players, with a
concomitant stagnation of the Web's once vibrant landscape.

This, no doubt, is precisely what the proposal's backers desire.  I can
see why they want you to endorse this policy, but I can't see why you
would do it.  Please drive a stake through this monster's heart before
it drains the lifeblood of the Web.

-- 
-------------------------+--------------------------------------------
R H L U  Scott Maxwell:  | ``Life results from the non-random survival
E A I X     maxwell@     |   of randomly varying replicators.''
D T N 6 ScottMaxwell.org |     -- Richard Dawkins

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2001 17:46:52 UTC