RMS Re: Firm Changes Mind on SOAP Patent

[Seth Johnson <seth.johnson@RealMeasures.dyndns.org>]

Yes, there's a world of a difference that drawing the line
gives you.  This is true all along, and there's been no
finer exemplar of this than Richard has been for the past
twenty years; and it's obviously especially true from a
position of strength such as we showed the W3C.

Seth

-------- Original Message --------
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 05:20:03 -0500
From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: seth.johnson@RealMeasures.dyndns.org
CC:
C-FIT_Community@RealMeasures.dyndns.org,C-FIT_Release_Community@RealMeasures.dyndns.org,fairuse-discuss@nyfairuse.org,
patents@aful.org,adam@consulting.net.nz,
www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org


This change of policy is the direct result of the firm
policy that the W3C adopted.  If the W3C had taken a weak
stand, the company would have stood firm on demanding
royalties for the standard, all the while insisting that
firmness would get us nowhere.  And yet it worked.

WebMethods may also give in eventually.  If not, it will be
little loss if SOAP is not adopted as a standard.  There is
nothing to lose, and much to gain, by standing firm.