IETF Chair <chair(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org> writes:
What does a contributor do in the situation when then want to build on an
older work that was contributed prior to RFC 5378?
In short, the contributor must obtain the additional rights from the
original contributor.
Doesn't that make it possible for copyright holders to make it difficult
for the IETF to update older standards?
Let's consider if company X participated as editor, or merely a major
contributor, to document Y five years ago. Today competitor Z is
critically dependent on this technology. Company X no longer builds
products using Y technology. I could see how company X would not see
any point in granting Z any rights to update the IETF standard in this
situation. To update Y you will need to rewrite the entire document, to
avoid copyright tainting.
This seems like a serious problem with the new policy to me.
/Simon
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