[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: Microsoft files for XML patents, says C|Net
Given the current practice of granting patents which contain claims that are dependent on specific "named" data formats, languages, protocols, etc., it is vital, in order to preserve our ability to innovate, that we accept a new discipline when we define and discuss these things... We must: 1. Ensure that conformance requirements for our standards are extremely well defined and that any non-conforming use is clearly flagged as not being able to be described as "HTML", "XML", or whatever. 2. We must stop defining extension mechanisms to ensure that the use of any extension clearly prevents the extender from claiming that an extended format is an instance of the named base format. (In this way, if someone adds proprietary extensions to XML, HTML, etc. then we would be able to say: "It is *not* HTML. Thus, the patent doesn't apply." 3. Given that namespaces provide a flexible and broadly useful extension mechanism for XML documents, W3C, the Open Source community and other responsible persons should immediately drop support for namespaces and establish a policy against consideration of similar mechanisms in the future. 4. We should stop using versions to refer to extensions, variants, or enhancements of specifications and instead ensure that spec names change on every revision. 5. Anyone who suggests or attempts to discuss adding extension mechanisms or flexibility to any important standards should be suspected of being a plant for someone with a patent or someone in the process of obtaining a patent. Such people should be removed from mailing lists immediately and warned against in any available public forum... None of the things suggested above are any more unreasonable than the current situation. If this situation continues, the actions outlined above will become increasingly necessary -- no matter how painful. bob wyman How long until we see a patent application which refers to: "The standard formerly known as HTML"...
|
PURCHASE STYLUS STUDIO ONLINE TODAY!Purchasing Stylus Studio from our online shop is Easy, Secure and Value Priced! Download The World's Best XML IDE!Accelerate XML development with our award-winning XML IDE - Download a free trial today! Subscribe in XML format
|