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Re: GIFs in the tcm binary package


Benjamin Riefenstahl wrote:
It is covered by the patent of course, but as I understand it, Unisys
doesn't require license fees for decompressing GIFs, making
decompressing free (as in "free beer").  And as Daniel said,
distribution of GIFs alone probably doesn't touch the patent anyway.


The Unisys website seems to imply that both compression and decompression require a license: <http://www.unisys.com/about__unisys/lzw>


See also <http://burnallgifs.org/> and <http://lzw.info/> [1], which has this to say:

"""
Only the software employing the LZW algorithm for writing GIF files is "at risk". The Unisys patent includes claims which specifically cover the decompression of LZW-compressed material, so it may also affect simple GIF readers. Several patent attorneys consulted on this matter have concluded that decompression-only programs do not infringe upon the Unisys patent. Unisys however does not appear to share this opinion.
"""


[1] shortcut to <http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html>

-- Andrew



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