works with all popular browsers, the Open Source and Industry Alliance
(OSAIA) said in comments filed with the Office today. Indeed, the Office
should be prepared to accept paper submissions when necessary until
compatibility problems can be fixed, association officials said.
The submission was filed by the Computer & Communications Industry
Association (CCIA), OSAIAs parent organization, in response to an
inquiry that was issued earlier this summer. The Office asked what, if
any, would be the effect of a website that did not work with browsers
other than Microsofts Internet Explorer. The Office asked the question
because its website will soon allow copyright owners to register their
works prior to publication.
OSAIA and CCIA urged the Office to consider the effect on the
marketplace as a whole when determining site design.
The long-term gains from ensuring compatibility with a variety of
software alternatives
prove to be substantial, OSAIA and CCIA told
the Office. Interoperability promotes the transfer of information
between different computing environments, improves accessibility,
promotes consumer choice, and in our Internet-enabled economy
constitutes the cornerstone of electronic commerce.
Consensus standards organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium
provide a clear roadmap for the broadest compatibility, the associations
said.
As the Office develops its new system, CCIA encourages it to support
open web standards such as those propounded by the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C), whose membership spans the public and private
sectors of the Internet, and includes both the Library of Congress and
several CCIA members
By designing a system to open standards rather
than the specifications of individual applications, the Office will
further its function and improve users experiences, while promoting the
vitalit of the software market by not picking winners.
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About OSAIA and CCIA
OSAIA, a project of the Computer & Communications Industry Association,
represents the interests of open-source developers and users around the
world. Members include many of the worlds most prominent open-source
companies and organizations, all of which support the right to use,
develop, modify and share open source software.
CCIA is an international, nonprofit association of computer and
communications industry firms, representing a broad cross section of the
industry. CCIA is dedicated to preserving full, free and open
competition throughout its industry. Our members employ more than
600,000 workers and generate annual revenues in excess of $200 billion.
