GIF License for websites?

[meikel]

Hi,

I just don't know what to make out of this:
http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzw-license.html
Whatever it means... I'm sure I'll hate it.

Greetings from Bonn, Germany
[nbsp][nbsp]Meikel Weber
http://www.meikel.com

[hearts]

I think I am toooooo tired to be reading this.. at first ya wanna get angry, ESPECIALLY when you read this line:

Use of the World Wide Web has grown faster than almost any other technology in history – and faster than anyone anticipated even five years ago, when online service providers mostly handled simple electronic messaging.

and when you are tired, from staying out all night long with your buds you get to this line you start cussing them out as if they will hear you:

A one-time payment of $5,000.00 U.S. for each license agreement (limited to two servers at each licensed Web site). Or a single payment of $7,500 U.S. for a license for both Billboard and Intranet.

When first reading it, it makes ya think SCAM. and since this is the web.... it probably is But, if ya go here, maybe this will explain things a little better. http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzw-license-def.html

I am not a legal anything, and always half way pay attention to things that don't really pertain to me. HOWEVER, this seems like hindsite is making one a bit $$$ hungry.

Just thinking that tis a little too late, and if they want all this money, that this would have to be some new policy, with a stated date, and move on, rather than getting hung up on the fact, that they weren't smart enough to predict the future! ;)

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hearts
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[This message has been edited by hearts (edited 08-29-99)]

[Jacob Stetser]

My take:

I don't often say things like this, but:

Unisys deserves to be ignored. They didn't adequately defend their patent, didn't even START forcing licensing for LZW-compression schemes until after GIF took off.

I don't give a flying hoot about their license and will continue to use GIF as long as I want to. If they sue me, I'll round up a couple hundred thousand web developers to file a class-action suit or something. This is just plain ridiculous, and I wouldn't believe it if it weren't ON THEIR OWN SITE.

Pardon the language, but scr** Unisys. Good news, at least, is that their patent runs out in 2003. (Which tells you they've had it since 1986 and they never really enforced the patent until 1994-5 after they had PUSHED for the use of GIF on the Internet.)


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[sheila]

I'm sorry, but I have a legal purchased and fully liscensed copy of PhotoImpact from Ulead, wich happens to offer saving as .gif format. If Unisys wants money, they should go after Ulead, not me.

When I read the bulletin off of Unisys' site to my hubby, he just laughed. I guess (through work) he had heard about this a long time ago and it is just funny to him now.

Bottom line: I wouldn't worry about it.

[Justin]

I don't think you as a web designer (eg, a user of GIF files) are what they are going after - they are going after Ulead, Adobe, Jasc Software, etc - the one's using the technology in their programs... Don't quote me, as I haven't yet read the particulars, but I think it's similar to Shockwave or Adobe PDF files - end users can use them for free, and there's no licensing needed for the display of the files. But if you want to create them, you must pay (Shockwave Flash is free, but Director costs big bucks).

If I am interpreting this correctly, honestly, they have every right to collect - as Jake said, they created GIF format files long before the Internet was even really thought of as it is today... If they are in fact only asking for a licensing fee for the creation of GIF files, or for commercial use of their compression algorithyms, by all means they should get it - after all, Adobe, Ulead, and Jasc's products are certainly worth more than they'd be without the ability to create GIF files, as popular as they are.

Now if they are trying to charge for using GIF's on a web site or elsewhere, then my tune changes - not that they don't have every right to do so, but I would be against it. As I understand it (again, haven't read the particulars yet - will catch up on that tomorrow), I am behind the idea...

Just my uneducated 2 cents :)

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Justin Nelson
FutureQuest Support

[jokesplus]

For quite a good summary of the history of this have a look at http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html[nbsp][nbsp]

Jarrod

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[Rich]

I agree with Justin. As long as you are using a graphic program that has paid for the license, you are covered. However, I find it interesting that we should want to use Unisys' technology without permission and ignore all patent and copyright laws, but when someone takes one of our gifs from our website that was created using this that we consider this theft. (?)

Rich

[hearts]

RICH.. I don't think anyone is truly implying that they want to illegally use anything. HOWEVER, if we are paying for the program, it SHOULD be the responsibility of whichever program we purchase to ensure that they (the company) are using proper licensing as we are paying dearly for such programs, and we do NOT want to feel accused of theft!

Anyways, when the article is read in its entirety, since the definitions are available, it is fairly clear what the fuss is about. Seems like there was a mistake on behalf of Unisys' and now they are trying to correct it. Which probably means, all end users will pay too.




[This message has been edited by hearts (edited 08-30-99)]

[Mandi]

Wonder where this will leave one of my favorite on line utilities, www.gifwizard.com (http://www.gifwizard.com)?

[sheila]

Wonder where this will leave one of my favorite on line utilities, www.gifwizard.com (http://www.gifwizard.com)?
Well, it's not a new announcement. Announcement was made in ... what? 1994 or 95. I suspect it will have little effect on most websites at this point.

[This message has been edited by sheila (edited 08-30-99)]

[meikel]

Hi again,

thank you all for your comments and the links you gave. I'm very intersted in that topic as I encountered this patent already in 1997 where I believe that unisys changed their GIF licensing system.
You still find reminders of that encounter at http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/6485/freeware.html
It's a shame that GIF supporting freeware is not any more allowed.

Greetings from someone hating LZW patents
[nbsp][nbsp]Meikel Weber
http://www.meikel.com