And I thought Al Gore invented the Internet...

Yes, I know Al Gore never said he invented the Internet, but its the kind of thing that's fun to misquote, really you could imagine he meant to say that. Indeed its the kind of thing politicians blurt out about technology all the time, like when they are trying to be cool and hip and trendy with the kids. I think Bush's comment about " those stories going around on the Internets" had Gore beat for sure.

Anyway, I digress. What I really wanted to say was that I just can't believe the eWeek story that Microsoft is making noises that it owns patents on the key Internet protocols IPv6 and IPv4. Really that's huge news, that's like saying that the user and manufacturer of every single internet connected device, computer or infrastructure component owes them money. How could that possibly be? Didn't the Internet come from a publically funded DARPA project early in the 70s? And wasn't IPv6 designed by a ton of committees who wouldn't even touch a patentented technology without complete releases of all claims on it - witness the recent hoohah about Microsoft's anti-spam technologies being standardized, or not as the case may be.

So for the moment I'm concluding that eWeek has the wrong end of the stick and is misrepresenting Microsofts claims, if they indeed exist at all. Ultimately the world (not just America) has to create some kind of Kyoto accord that everyone signs recognizing that the core protocols of the Internet are now considered a part of the public commons and as such should be protected and made free for all. We need some kind of Declaration of Internet Freedom with certain truths to be held self-evident like add free web pages, spam-free email and the pursuit of porn (or whatever floats your boat).