JPEG Patent Could Impact The Gimp

[]AC[dRuM]

Posted by timothy on Saturday April 24, @02:03PM
from the NOTACON-FALLS-SILENT dept.
SeanAhern writes "A number of years ago, Forgent acquired a patent on some of the algorithms required for JPEG compression and decompression, and recently sued 31 big-name IHVs and ISVs. A Newsforge article gets into some of the details and asks whether open source tools like the Gimp could be liable as well. To add fuel to the fire, the Joint Photographic Experts Group's committee thinks that some of the patent may be invalid. The p2pnet.net story mentions that the FTC has some skepticism as well. We originally talked about this on Slashdot back in the summer of 2002."

Interesting read sd.org assemble the word so far...

http://slashdot.org/

 

[SilverHood]

Yankee patent law is so fucked up.... they give patents for anything and everything, and then once a company gets a patent, it goes and sues all the companies that uses the technology that has been widely available for donkey years.

I'm tempted to see if I can get a patent for "footpaths" at the US patens registration office, and then sue every person in the USA for using my property when they walk.

 

[Wij]

I patented patents.

And penii.

 

[xane]

they give patents for anything and everything,

you don't say !

 

[FuzzyLogic]

I've decided to patent the method of chasing cats with vacuum cleaners in an enclosed space as a method of exercising feline also!


edit, is it me or is that idiot patenting shining a torch on a wall and expecting the cat to chase it?

Fcuking hell, i did that years ago with my cat until it realised that chasing a beam of light on a wall is about as productive as drinking 3 pints of absinthe and throwing up on the queen oO

 

[JBP|]

i think ill get the patent for oxygen then


that should be worth a few bob

 

[Escape]

They only have 2yrs left on the patent

 

[Maljonic]

Yankee patent law is so fucked up.... they give patents for anything and everything, and then once a company gets a patent, it goes and sues all the companies that uses the technology that has been widely available for donkey years.

I'm tempted to see if I can get a patent for "footpaths" at the US patens registration office, and then sue every person in the USA for using my property when they walk.

I'm sure they could get it thrown out of court by saying they only use sidewalks and the odd pavement and haven't been anywhere near one of your patented 'footpaths.'

 

[]AC[dRuM]

I'm tempted to see if I can get a patent for "footpaths" at the US patens registration office, and then sue every person in the USA for using my property when they walk.

i think ill get the patent for oxygen then
that should be worth a few bob

..lol

The cats with vacumm cleaners is a sound idea me thinks

I wonder if you can patent gags?