New W3C Patents Policy

To whom it may concern
----------------------

I am very much concerned as a Linux user about the new
W3C patents policy. The so called "royality-free
license" requirements are not consistent with Open
Source / Free Software terms as these planned W3C
requirements allow for standards that cannot be
implemented in Free Software because of patent issues.

More precisely, when the royalty-free patent license
allows only to implement what is required by the
standard, that is called a "field of use" restriction.
Any such restriction is in conflict with the user's
freedom to modify the program, which is an essential
part of both the Free Software Definition and the Open
Source Definition. 

With best regards,

Beat Fasel
Switzerland

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Received on Saturday, 5 April 2003 15:58:45 UTC