Re: Help with Apple's SSM IPR claim

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb@research.att.com>]

In message <320671320.1053424774@localhost>, Harald Tveit Alvestrand writes:

>
>> As far as I know, all we have the authority to do is ask for a
>> statement.  On the other hand, the WG chair has the *ability* to
>> give an ultimatum by not forwarding the document.  I dunno about
>> *authority*.
>
>we-the-IESG have no authority.
>we-the-IETF have the authority to say "the community will refuse to 
>standardize this technology unless RF is available". If that's the truth.
>
>If Apple gives in, it would be a very nice case of the IPR process working.

Yes.  One point made explicitly in the IPR working group is that WGs 
can decline to adopt encumbered technology -- see, for example, the 
first sentence of Section 8 of draft-ietf-ipr-technology-rights-05.txt,
or Section 5.3 of draft-ietf-ipr-wg-guidelines-03.txt.

		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
		http://www.wilyhacker.com (2nd edition of "Firewalls" book)