Subject: Please establish patent-free standards

From: Scott Walck <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 09:23:46 -0500

Dear IETF:

I have learned from the Free Software Foundation that the IETF is
considering as a proposed standard a form of TLS authorization based
on a patent held by RedPhone.  I would like to encourage the IETF to
try to find a patent-free solution to the problem.  The IETF is a
highly respected group of standards writers.  People on the IETF
surely understand the importance of setting standards that are as free
as possible for all to use.

A growing group of people are seeing the benefits of using free and
open source software for their desktop needs, as well as for
infrastructural computing that happens largely behind the scenes.  You
are probably well aware of the threats that a patent-encumbered
standard would pose to the construction of free software to implement
the standard.

Please consider the importance of establishing open standards that can
be implemented by free software.

Regards,

Scott N. Walck

-- 
Scott N. Walck
Associate Professor of Physics
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, PA 17003
phone: 717-867-6153
fax:   717-867-6075
email: [email-masked]