Re: [Softwarepatents] [Patents] TODAY/URGENT: Stop IETF Enactment of Patented Standard for TLS

[Xavi Drudis Ferran <xdrudis@tinet.cat>]

On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 11:56:20AM +0100, Jonas Maebe wrote:
>
> That's not what I see in the message you forwarded. I just see a request 
> from a person who has nothing to do with the entire discussion asking to 
> stop spamming random people (other than that they work on one IETF 
> standard or another -- that does not mean by definition that they define 
> general IETF policy, nor that they have anything to say about the 
> particular IETF standard you are concerned about).
>
> Mail bombing campaigns are seldom a good idea. Especially when they are 
> unleashed indiscriminately on a huge collection of independent technical 
> experts who may or may not actually have anything to do with what you are 
> talking about.
>
>
> Jonas
>

I agree with Jonas. 

Besides, I find a little tiresome the discussion on private patent policy,
let alone a particular compromised specification .
As long as a patent is a state enforced public ban  on some activity, 
all relevant patent discussion is on public policy. The IETF can't have a 
good patent policy simply because software patents don't allow such 
a thing. We're going to spend hours arguing about disclosures and 
royalty free policies while anyone may perfectly compromise any standard
whatever the standard body policies are, by just holding a submarine patent.
There are always more people not invoved in an standard (i.e. not bound 
by whatever patent policy) than people involved, so the best of policies 
does just reduce the potential attackers in a small amount. Of course
there's justification for good non discriminatory RF policies, specially
about trying to avoid periscopes pushing swimmers to their torpedo range,
but pushed or not the submarines and swimmers are still in the same water.

Don't get me wrong. I dislike RAND, prefer RF and don't call a patent
encumbered specification a standard, but do we need to argue one another
on what to do to cope with an untenable situation, or could we perhaps 
try to change the situation?. Of course mail bombing is easier and 
may give some consolation, specialy to those who are already tired 
of more constructive activism. But that does not make it more useful.  
 

-- 
xdrudis@tinet.cat
Signa per fer Collserola parc natural com cal
http://www.collserola.org/salvemelparcnatural/