patents and norms

Dear W3 Cosortium,

I'm a software developer. My projects range from control
to Web applications. In the last 10 years I've come to
appreciate Open Source and especially Free Software, as
it allows me to deliver better quality. In the last -say-
five years I've been able even to use exclusively Open
Source (and mostly Free Software) in my projects
(including what I write: yes, I could convince my
customers that it's better for them).

I think I don't have to mention the philosophical and
moral advantages of Free Software.

The Internet couldn't have developed the way it has
(and the W3C wouldn't exist as it now exists) were it
not for freely available and implementable standards
and products (could you think of the WWW based on -say-
Novell technologies?).

Now you are about to allow standards which include
patented technologies wich would restrict the allowed
implementations fairly narrowly:

  <http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-patent-policy-20030319/#sec-Requirements>

(especially point 3). Imagine what that would mean for
the flexibility and the very life nerve of an open
development process. How could I test new ideas based
on a standard of yours without fear of trespassing the
limit of ``implementation of the Recommendation''?

The really bad about this patent business is: with
copyrighted programs I can just re-implement the thing.
It's work, but it's doable. With a patent-encumbered
standard, I'd have to touch the patent if I want to
be standards-compliant, no matter how I do my implementation.

Please, don't let big industry and their lawyers spoil
the good things of the Internet.

Sincerely
-- 
tomas zerolo
programmer, consultant, system administrator

Received on Saturday, 5 April 2003 04:17:57 UTC