Re: [NTLK] JPEG patent!!

From: Victor Rehorst (victor_at_newtontalk.net)
Date: Thu Jul 18 2002 - 19:06:30 EDT


On Thu, 18 Jul 2002, Jim Witte wrote:

> Just saw this on Slashdot: "Forgent Networks
> (www.forgentnetworks.com) has announced that it owns the software
> patent on JPEG compression technology
<snip>
> Apparently the GIF patent that Unisys tried (and failed?) with has
> also been used by Compuserve, and is also patented by IBM: "The IBM
> patent application was filed three weeks before that of Unisys, but
> the US patent office apparently failed to recognize that they covered
> the same algorithm. (The IBM patent is more general, but its claim 7
> is said to be exactly LZW.)" (from The GIF Controversy: A Software
> Developer's Perspective at
> http://cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html)

The best way to handle this is to just disregard any software patent that
the US Patent & Trademark Office hands out. I've felt a lot better since
I started doing that :)

-- 
Victor Rehorst - victor_at_newtontalk.net - chuma_at_chuma.org
NewtonTalk list administrator - http://www.newtontalk.net
Will help you with your list problems - as long as you're nice.

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