The introduction of a new intellectual property rights policy generated...
The introduction of a new intellectual property rights policy generated heated discussions at the Certification Authority Browser Forum (CA/Browser Forum), a membership body working on certification guidelines and standards. One of the founding members, Entrust, left the CA/Browser Forum, arguing…
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it could not accept the new “mandatory” IPR policy, “which requires member organizations to provide other members a royalty-free (RF) license of their patents that touch on proposed standards.” Entrust was one of the primary holders of patents, the company wrote, warning against further fragmentation of the CA industry, which already was the target of a growing number of sophisticated attacks. But Eddy Nigg, chief technology officer and chief operating officer of StarCom, challenged the Entrust statement, saying on a mailing list of the browser forum that the new IPR policy does allow exemptions for patents. Nigg also questioned Entrust’s allegations that 17 more of the 47 members had left the forum for the same or similar reasons. Entrust, in a more-detailed statement to members of the Browser Forum, said the administrative process to have patents exempted is “tot burdensome for a small company with a large relevant portfolio.” Entrust also said “the provision in the IPR requiring us to bind our related companies would require us to bind portfolio companies of our owner in unrelated business.” T-Systems, another Browser Forum member, confirmed that it would be a lot of work to sign up all subsidiaries to the IPR policy. T-Systems has 69 subsidiaries and therefore wasn’t able to sign the new policy in time, a spokesman said, so the company has at least temporarily switched to observer status.