Re: Don't succumb to FUD Re: Patent threat over RDF?

> At 12:36 PM 1/2/2002 -0500, Dan Brickley wrote:
> >
> > ..  I'd like to avoid discussion of this
> >blowing up into a huge fuss in the meantime.
> 
> yeah, like until some representative of a patent holder gets
> more specific about _precisely_ what claims they believe
> might be infringed, we're wasting our time with any worrying.
> 
> I like Jonathan Borden's advice.  The purpose of the letter
> that Uche and Jeff Barr reported to have received seems
> nothing other than to induce FUD.  Don't let it.
> 
> >Meanwhile, I suggest we try to carry on with life as normal on
> >www-rdf-interest.... for eg., I am always interested in historical
> >references on ...
> 
> amen.  And mailto:www-rdf-interest@w3.org is a fine place
> to archive any history relevant to users, implementors, and
> architects of RDF.
> 
> (kudos, DanBri, for making this forum such an active one :)

Thanks all, for the responses.  Especially the subtle suggestions that I shut 
up and stop drawing attention to myself  ;-)

Actually Jonathan's and Danbri's suggestions, and those like are probably just 
good sense.  Maybe these Patent Hawks knew well enough to send their letter to 
someone saddled with the classic Igbo bad temper[1], by dint of which craft 
they could gauge the reaction to their claims.

To those who asked, the notice was very softly worded.  It was by no means a 
cease and desist.  It didn't even make its claims with great conviction.  It 
was more a polite suggestion that we find some arrangement with them: the "or 
else" was left to the imagination.

I do intend to carry on with life as normal, and get some advice backed with 
responsibility, if you know what I mean.


[1] Historical anecdote (unresearched): In 1940-something, a group of 
marketwomen from the Aba region of (Igbo) Nigeria stormed British 
administrative facilities as a protest against excessive taxation and 
restraint of trade.  Among these facilities were garrisons replete with modern 
weaponry; The marketwomen were armed with brooms and a very bad attitude.


-- 
Uche Ogbuji                               Principal Consultant
uche.ogbuji@fourthought.com               +1 303 583 9900 x 101
Fourthought, Inc.                         http://Fourthought.com 
4735 East Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80301-2537, USA
XML strategy, XML tools (http://4Suite.org), knowledge management

Received on Wednesday, 2 January 2002 17:58:17 UTC