more on W3C patent policy

[Ssdb Admin]

O'Reilly, a widely respected publisher of technology books, objects to
the proposed W3C patent policy.

  http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/761

In a related article, "A Web of Bronze, a Medium of Lead: Web Content at
Risk in W3C's Proposed Patent Framework"  by Andy Oram, O'Reilly editor
warns that the policy will ultimately enshrine digital rights management
(DRM) techniques right in the protocols and file formats required to
make an appearance on the Web.

   http://www.oreilly.com/news/oram_patents_1001.html

Oram says,

  In your imagination, sweep the Web off the world and put the following
  in its place:
  
  1. A system where you can no longer save a document to disk, or even cut
  and paste a few words.
  
  2. A system retreating from the promise of universal resource locators.
  Each site has to be visited through its portal, and you have to follow a
  path through ad-polluted screens to get to the content you want.
  
  3. A system where every view is tracked and recorded by a site, perhaps
  down to the amount you scroll through a page. You might be charged for
  each screen or have your browsing behavior added to a database for
  whatever purposes the site owners want.
  
  ...the W3C's proposed framework will ultimately enshrine such digital
  rights management (DRM) techniques right in the protocols and file
  formats required to make an appearance on the Web.
  
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University of California, San Diego               FAX: (858) 534-7548
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