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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> |
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<title>Postion on Proposed W3C "RF" Patent Policy - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</TITLE> |
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<link rev="made" href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"> |
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<meta http-equiv="Keywords" |
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content="GNU, FSF, Free Software Foundation, Linux, patent, general, public, license, gpl, general public license, policy, freedom, software, Eben, Moglen, Eben Moglen"> |
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<meta http-equiv="Description" |
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content="The proposed W3C RF patent policy seems on its surface to be helpful to Free Software, but in fact it is not. FSF encourages the public to say so in response to the last call."> |
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<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#1F00FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#9900DD"> |
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<h2>FSF's Position on Proposed W3 Consortium "Royalty-Free" Patent |
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Policy</h2> |
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<p> |
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<i>25 November 2002</i> |
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<A HREF="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"> |
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[ |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/w3c-patent.html">English</A> |
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] |
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<p> |
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The Free Software Foundation, represented by its General Counsel, |
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Professor Eben Moglen of Columbia University Law School, |
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participated in the W3 Consortium Patent Policy Working Group from |
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November 2001 through the current Last Call draft. The Foundation |
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regards the current Last Call draft, which proposes the adoption of |
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a "royalty-free" or "RF" patent policy, as a significant step in the |
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direction of protecting the World Wide Web from patent-encumbered |
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standards. But the proposed policy is not an adequate final outcome |
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from the Foundation's point of view.</p> |
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<p> |
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The proposed policy permits W3C members participating in W3 |
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technical working groups to commit their patent claims |
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"royalty-free" for use by implementers of the standard, but with |
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"field of use" restrictions that would be incompatible with section |
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7 of the <a href="/licenses/gpl.html">GNU General Public |
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License</a>. Such "field of use" restrictions, in other words, |
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would prevent implementation of W3C standards as <a |
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href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">Free Software</a>.</p> |
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<p> |
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Section 7 of the GNU GPL is intended to prevent the distribution of |
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software which appears to be Free (because it is released under a |
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copyright license guaranteeing the freedoms to use, copy, modify, |
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and redistribute) but which <em>cannot</em>, in fact, be modified |
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and redistributed because of patent license restrictions that limit |
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the use of patent claims practiced by the software to a particular |
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purpose. Though other Free Software licenses may not happen to |
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contain provisions equivalent to GPL's Section 7, this does not |
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imply that programs released under those licenses will be Free |
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Software if the patent claims contributed "royalty-free" to the |
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standard those programs implement are limited to a particular field |
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of use. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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As an example, W3 members may contribute patent claims to a standard |
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describing the behavior of web servers providing particular |
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functionality. A Free Software program implementing that standard |
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would be available for others to copy from, in order to add |
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functionality to browsers, or non-interactive web clients. But if, |
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as the present proposed policy permits, the patent-holder has |
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licensed the practicing of its patent claims "royalty-free" only "in |
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order to implement the standard", reuse of the relevant code in |
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these latter environments would still raise possible patent |
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infringement problems. |
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</p> |
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<a name="comment"> |
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<p> |
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For this reason, the proposed policy does not actually protect the |
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rights of the Free Software community to full participation in the |
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implementation and extension of web standards. The goal of our |
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participation in the policy making process at W3C has not been |
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achieved. The Foundation urges all those who care about the right |
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of Free Software developers to implement all future web standards to |
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send comments to the W3C urging that the policy be amended to |
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prohibit the imposition of "field of use" restrictions on patent |
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claims contributed to W3C standards. The address to which such |
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comments should be emailed is <a |
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href="mailto:www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org"><www-patentpolicy-comments@w3.org></a>. |
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The deadline for receipt of comments is <strong>Tuesday 31 December |
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2002</strong>. |
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</p> |
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<HR> |
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[ |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/w3c-patent.html">English</A> |
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] |
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<HR> |
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<P> |
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Return to <A HREF="/home.html">GNU's home page</A>. |
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<P> |
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Please send FSF & GNU inquiries & questions to |
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<A HREF="mailto:info@fsf.org"><EM>info@fsf.org</EM></A>. |
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There are also <A HREF="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to |
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contact</A> the FSF. |
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<P> |
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Please send comments on these web pages to |
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<A HREF="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><EM>webmasters@gnu.org</EM></A>, |
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send other questions to |
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<A HREF="mailto:info@fsf.org"><EM>info@fsf.org</EM></A>. |
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<p> |
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Copyright (C) 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc., |
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59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in |
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any medium, provided this notice is preserved. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
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Updated: |
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<!-- timestamp start --> |
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$Date: 2002/11/25 16:16:42 $ $Author: bkuhn $ |
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<!-- timestamp end --> |
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