* Paul Vixie:
in <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/21/802_11n_patent_threat/>, we see:
Letters of Assurance are requested from all parties
holding patents which may be applicable to any IEEE
standard. Basically they state that the patent owner
won't sue anyone for implementing the standard. ...
i was thinking, what a great policy. why doesn't IETF have one like it?
Perhaps because IEEE hasn't got anything like that, either?
The IEEE has got a very expansive patent policy:
| 7.14 Patent Rights of Employed Engineer Inventors
|
| In order to promote the progress of electrical arts and sciences, it
| is IEEE policy to encourage the establishment of appropriate
| incentive systems for the development and disclosure of
| inventions. Implementation of this policy may include actions
| directed toward the improvement and revitalization of patent laws to
| extend protection of inventions in newer fields of technology not
| currently covered, and greater incentives to government contractors
| for the commercial utilization of inventions resulting from
| government support, and improving laws to provide equitable
| distribution of rights between employed inventors and their
| employers, as well as to promote equitable standard patent
| pre-assignment agreements.
The spelled-out policy for standards is available under:
<http://standards.ieee.org/guides/bylaws/sect6-7.html>
I don't think it's fundamentally different from the IETF policy (that
is, RAND is acceptable).
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