[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Sign the Hague declaration

[Arnulf Christl (WhereGroup)]

> Free of patents? ESRI has always been the "Microsoft of GIS", so beware
> of patents on this particular format.

We should be specific in what we say. ESRI has not registered any patents
(they might have inherited some from acquisitions) and they claim to have
a company wide policy to never register a patent themselves. This is hard
to verify but until someone produces proof I would strongly refrain from
alleging anything.

IBM is one of the real patent monsters and they already have developed
into being a real PITA in several spatially related software packages.
Otoh IBM is an Open Source promoter. Go figure.

Google has transferred its copyright on KML to OGC. This does not make me
trust Google any more or less but it makes me trust that I can use KML
which is not a bad thing.

ESRI was late and unloved in the OGC (check the history) and Shape was
already deprecated technology when they joined. OGC did not have as much
interest in Shape as it had in KML (new markets anyone?). Under other
circumstances I am pretty sure ESRI might have released Shape to the OGC
to make it an open standard. It could still be done - but what for? Shape
is legacy and it is already as open and as we need it to be.

Must I worry to take up the cudgels for ESRI now?

-- 
With best regards,
Arnulf Christl

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