$_POST 'strXML' not correct

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I'm using the dragNode chart and I'm experiencing some problems. The connectors in the chart can have names like 'startdate < enddate'. An XML example of a connector: <connector strength="0.5" from="1" to="2" name="startdate < enddate" color="EAC5C5" arrowAtStart="0" arrowAtEnd="1"  />

When submitting the chart I catch the $_POST (strXML), but the output XML isn't correct:

<connector strength='0.5' from='1' to='2' alpha='100' name='startdate < enddate' color='EAC5C5' arrowAtStart='0' arrowAtEnd='1' />

As you can see the < is changed in '<'. This causes an invalid XML. How can this be solved, or is it a bug?

Thanks in advance