ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Application Development

JPEG committee refutes patent claim

By Matt Loney, ZDNet.co.uk, 22 July, 2002 10:47

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

GIF, forgent networks, jpeg patent, lzw, png patent, Unisys

NEWS
The committee that develops the JPEG image compression standard have refuted a claim by a US company to own a patent that gives it exclusive rights to the algorithm underlying JPEG. If it were proven in court, the claim by video network software firm Forgent Networks could enable it to charge royalties on all devices and software that use JPEG compression. In Forgent's own words, these include digital cameras, digital still image devices, personal digital assistants, cellular phones that download images, browsers, digital camcorders with a still image function, scanners and other devices used to compress, store, manipulate, print or transmit digital images. The JPEG committee does not believe there is any foundation to Forgent's claim, which relates to US patent 4,698,672. In a posting on the JPEG site, committee member Richard Clarke said the committee has examined the claim "briefly", and believes the prior art exists in areas where the patent might overlap with the JPEG algorithm. Clarke said that in response to this latest claim, in addition to the possibility of two similar claims from Philips and Lucent, the committee is to launch a new Web site to collect "a substantial repository of prior art and it invites submissions, particularly where the content may be applied to claims of intellectual property." The JPEG committee hopes to launch the Web site before its next meeting in Shanghai in October 2002. In the meantime, Forgent is in "ongoing discussions with other manufacturers of digital still cameras, printers, scanners and other products that use JPEG technology, for licensing opportunities," according to the company's chairman and chief executive Richard Snyder. Explaining the claim, which was made in an 11 July posting on the Forgent Web site, Snyder said, "We wanted to ensure the investment community and the general public are clear about the terms of our valuable JPEG data compression technology, one of the many technologies we have in our patent portfolio." It is not clear whether Forgent would follow the lead by Unisys, which owns a key patent used for GIF image compression, and seek royalties from Web sites that use images created using the algorithm. Unisys attracted criticism when it said that Web sites that provide GIFs for download that were created with an unlicensed copy of the Lempel-Ziv-Wlech (LZW) compression algorithm were guilty of contributory infringement of its patent and could be liable for a $5,000 payment. Unisys had originally said it did not require licensing, or fees to be paid, for non-commercial, non-profit GIF-based applications (such as freeware), including those for use on the on-line services. But in 1995, Unisys changed tack and decided that licences were necessary in all cases, and this meant that Web sites using images created with unlicensed software were suddenly liable to pay fees. In response to the Unisys offensive, many Web sites turned to alternatives such as JPEG and the less well known PNG file format, which officially stands for Portable Network Graphics format, and unofficially for PNG's Not GIF. Despite some scare stories that Apple had a claim on the PNG patent, the PNG Group has denied that this is the case. Apple has never made such a claim itself. Wholesale switching of graphics formats on the Web is not easy, and licence decisions of the type made by Unisys and now, potentially, by Forgent, can be damaging, according to developers. In a recent speech delivered to the Cambridge Computer Lab, Free Software advocate Richard Stallman said the inertia makes the switch virtually impossible. "When we started saying to people to stop using GIF files, people said we can't switch (to a new format), the browsers don't support it yet," said Stallman, "and browser companies said nobody's using it yet. There was so much inertia that we have not been able to switch people in ten years."
See the Software News Section for the latest headlines on everything from peer to peer clients to Office software and beyond. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

3D graphics world shaken by patent claims

Patent fight holds up Web standards

Stallman: Software patents victimise developers

BT suffers blow in hyperlink patent case

IBM tops US patent list again

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

31 minutes ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

1 hour ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

3 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

3 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

3 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

3 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

3 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

7 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

8 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

8 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

9 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

10 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

11 hours ago by via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

19 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

1 day ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
k0tcs3

Sure, that makes perfect sense. Pay wrong-doers money and thank them for breaching your security and pointing out your flaws, that would surely...

1 day ago by k0tcs3 on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
Random_Error

I think he's referring specifically to Android apps, as Apple do regulate their App Store, but Google seem to let any old crap onto the Android store!

1 day ago by Random_Error on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Paul Fezziwig

Keep the crap apps out?! How will they compete with Android and Apple's claim to fame of having so many life changing apps? I wonder if the media...

1 day ago by Paul Fezziwig via Facebook on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store

Latest in Application Development

Perens: Linux could learn from Apple

Featured white papers

10 safety tips for business in 2012

Symantec.cloud

10 safety tips for business in 2012

From cloud computing to remote working, your business should consider these ways to keep your business secure as traditional IT... Read more

Deliver easy email search, storage and retrieval systems

Symantec.cloud

Deliver easy email search, storage and retrieval systems

Are you storing up trouble? There is a better way to manage corporate email storage on every level, for every size and type of... Read more

Defining your data demands in simple steps

Symantec.cloud

Defining your data demands in simple steps

Data growth provides vital resources for your business, and you can manage its enormity through some simple... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault