Licensing IP embodied in standards

Are Intellectual Property Rights Hindering Technological Advance? The Need for Technological Commons1

“…The patent resembles the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) cascading style sheets standard (http://www.w3.org/Style/ visited 15 May 2005), which was under developed at the time of the application. Microsoft was actively participating in the standard formation (Stern, 1999). After an outcry against the patent, 33 Microsoft offered free and reciprocal licensing but came short of turning the patent over to the standardization body, as several observers had requested (McKenzie & Walter, 1999).…”

“…34 34 Microsof t's seemingly noble gesture may have disguised more questionable motives (Stern, 1999). …”