Web style sheet, plug-in technologies are the latest hot buttons. Microsoft is an active participant in the W3C standards process in both of these arenas.
Some standards bodies have patent rules.
Some say you can submit technologies that are patented but companies must be able to license them on a nondiscriminatory basis. Sako claims that, until fairly recently, the W3C had no patent policy. But early on, Microsoft told the organization that it would make any of its patented technology available on a royalty-free, reciprocal basis, she says. The W3C acknowledges receipt of Microsoft's letter and said the organization had forwarded the letter to its consortium members for comment. We have not reviewed the patent, so we are not in a position to make a statement on the disposition of the patent.