Regarding the possible use of LZW compression in the proposed PDFax data
format for IPP Fax:
The LZW algorithm is patented by both IBM (4,814,746) and Unisys (US patent
4,558,302, European patent 0,129,439 - Japanese and other patents pending),
while British Telecom (BT) holds a similar patent. 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.)
The LZW patent, as well as its international counterparts, and similar
patents filed by others, are expected to remain valid for at least 20 years
from the original filing date, i.e. until June 19, 2003
On January 27, 1995, Unisys announced new licensing policies regarding "The
Welch Patent". These include a .45% royalty on the total unit selling price
of GIF/LZW products (minimum $0.10, maximum $10.00 per unit) and a .65%
royalty on GIF/TIFF/LZW products (minimum $0.20, maximum $25.00). For
further information and a copy of the written agreement it is possible to
call Unisys at +1 215 986-4411, or email lzw_info at unisys.com
John
------------------------------------
John Pulera
jpulera at minolta-mil.com
Minolta Systems Laboratory
11150 Hope St.
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 898-4593 x115
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.pwg.org/archives/ifx/attachments/20020906/6c3de2f5/attachment-0001.html