The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a community of
technologists who oversee the evolution and smooth operation of the
internet, has set up a working group to clarify its position on the
inclusion of intellectual property in its standards, according to a
report by news site CNET News.com.
The article reports that the IETF working group will assess the
impact of patent, copyright and trademark claims on its ability to
develop standards, with a view to providing guidance to its members
on the use of proprietary software in the standard-setting process.
The group aims to publish its intellectual property policy by the
beginning of 2003.
It appears that IETF will follow moves made by other standards
bodies, such as the World Wide Web Consortium, to allow the use of
proprietary software in standards under certain circumstances.
