"Hallam-Baker, Phillip" <pbaker(_at_)verisign(_dot_)com> commented:
<...
Licensing issues are being dealt with, your paranoias are irrelevant,
take it to the IETF IPR forum.
...
My I register my concern, as someone who has been professionally involved with
protocol design and implementation for over 40 years, that the IETF is even
_considering_ the adoption of a protocol of this significance in such a way that
it may be beholden to commercial interests.
I'm sure it is proper to seek the advice of IPR specialists to examine the
nature and scope of any such encumberance, but it is surely for _this_ list to
gather opinions on whether or not commercial rights over the protocol in this
particular domain would be acceptable to the Internet Community as a whole -
whatever shape or form they took; this is a valid aspect of the overall
decision-making process which this list supports.
The retention of an 'open', vendor-neutral eMail infrastructure for the world is
a duty on us all.
And may I just say how disappointed I am by the tone and language just used
('paranoia') by someone who appears to be representing a corporate organization.
A disappointed and concerned,
Chris Haynes