Re: [xml-dev] Re: W3C ridiculous new policy on patents

[Bart Schuller <schuller+xml-dev@lunatech.com>]

On Thu, Oct 11, 2001 at 08:55:59AM -0500, Bullard, Claude L (Len) wrote:
> If a company has the funding, they can defend the open software 
> projects from which they derive their profits.  That is a 
> cost of business for them just as it is for all of us in 
> this business.  They can also seek patents for that which 
> they intend to have future rights.  If they intend to do 
> that with intent to grant RF RAND, I think a W3C policy 
> that is clear with respect to the terms of such would be 
> welcome to the management of such a company.

You keep talking about business. There's more in life.

Tell me, what is the cost of having a hobby? Everyone with an off the
shelf PC can start programming.
There's also a vast amount of scientific research and Open Source
software to build upon and expand. Yet a lot of the obvious enhancements
get patented.

Why is it so hard to see that asking people to pay these same considerable
business costs of yours just so they can *give away* things *they write*
is wrong?

Or is every hobbyist entitled to their own bigco who'll pay the lawyer's
fees to attack bogus patents?

-- 
Bart.