To whom it may concern,
I've heard from the Free Software Foundation that the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) is trying to propose a standard
encumbered by a patent claimed by RedPhone Security. I heard that
RedPhone has given a license to anyone who implements the protocol,
but they still threaten to sue anyone that uses it.
Patents are a tricky issue for Free Software. As a developer of Free
Software, I urge you to reconsider the proposal and push for a
standard unencumbered by patents. Patents will lead to problems, as
you must know based on the discussion around RFC 2026 section 10
leading to RFC 3668 and your position that "The IESG will not make any
explicit determination that the assurance of reasonable and
non-discriminatory terms or any other terms for the use of an
Implementing Technology has been fulfilled in practice." To avoid them
now is to save others from all the legal risks involved.
It is unfortunate that the patent situation in the USA has lead to
this. But knowing that software patent problems cannot be resolved
right here and right now, avoiding them and building truly open
standards is the only promising option.
Regards from Switzerland
Alex Schröder
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