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JPEG Patent Could Impact The Gimp

Posted by timothy on 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."

20 of 301 comments (clear)

  1. The real question is... by FrYGuY101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Will there be a www.BurnAllJPGs.com?

    --
    "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."

    - Seneca
  2. In other news... by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 5, Funny

    Forgent receives financing deal from Baystar in order to pursue IP claims.

    1. Re:In other news... by metlin · · Score: 5, Funny

      And in related news, Darth McBride steps down from SCO to join Forgent as their new CEO.

      Following this, Forgent has issued licensing claims to Adobe, Pixar, Kodak and a few other companies.

      "Share a moment, share a life, for just $699!" is the new tagline for the company.

  3. Re:gif all over again by inode_buddha · · Score: 2, Funny

    The goatse guy was a jpeg. Not sure if its art tho.

    --
    C|N>K
  4. Re:This is a very bad trend by pewterfish · · Score: 5, Funny

    WTF?! What revenues? The developers are getting donations and the like for the contributions they are making by working for free. This is plain ridiculous, people are putting in their free time to help develop software that will benefit everyone, and giving it away for free.

    So yeah, the GIMP should donate a percentage of their revenues. 15% of 0 is still 0 :)

    --
    :D > £/$
  5. Re:PNG by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just another reason to use PNG. As the availability of inexpensive bandwidth increases, so declines the need for lossy compression methods.

    You are telling slashdotters that they should live with 200,000 porn images instead of 1,000,000? That'll go over like Steve Balmer at a Linux convention.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  6. By all means.... by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 3, Funny


    Lets see here, the Gimp's profit is $0, so lets be generous and give them, oh, say a full 20%. So lets see -

    0 * .2 = 0

    Would you like that in Check, Cash or PayPal?

    --
    Slashdot, where armchair scientists get shouted down and armchair theologians get modded up.
    1. Re:By all means.... by someguy456 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well since they would probably have a premier/business account, and it costs those accounts "2.2% + $0.30 USD to 2.9% + $0.30 USD" to receive funds, they would actually have to pay paypal 30 cents for every $0 donation we give them... *muhahaha*

      --
      Robert Bindler
      A Computer Science student's views on technology.
  7. Just to be safe... by lazy_arabica · · Score: 2, Funny
    Of course, just to be safe, it might be wise for the GIMP developers (as well as all other open source image processing projects which use JPG) to volunteer to donate a percentage of their revenues to Forgent Networks.

    Just to be safe... because of course, we wouldn't like something bad to happen to you...
  8. Can't take "Gimp" seriously after Pulp Fiction by October_30th · · Score: 4, Funny

    Zed: Bring out the Gimp.
    Maynard: But the Gimp's sleeping.
    Zed: Well, I guess you better go and wake him up then.

    --
    The owls are not what they seem
  9. Oh, great. by RomulusNR · · Score: 4, Funny

    So after converting all our GIFs to JPGs in the middle of the 90s, now that the other patent has expired, we'll be converting all our JPGs back to GIFs.

    --
    Terrorists can attack freedom, but only Congress can destroy it.
  10. Slippery slope... by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Funny

    The MPAA and RIAA both join forces and sue the pants off Forgent for illegal life sharing.

    Forgent will be appearing in a future Superbowl advert...

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  11. Re:please stop using "impact" as a verb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Learn the fucking difference between "effect" and "affect" and use the proper word rather than injecting a straight up wrong word in an attempt to disguise your incompetence, laziness, or whatever it is that makes people abuse a perfectly good noun that way.

    thank you.


    Grade D+

    I have made the following corrections to your poorly written grammar below. Changes are noted in bold face text.

    BEGIN EDIT
    Learn the fucking difference between "effect" and "affect", and use the proper word rather than injecting a "straight up" wrong word, in an attempt to disguise your incompetence, laziness, or whatever it is that makes people abuse a perfectly good noun that way.

    Thank you.
    END EDIT

    Thank you. Bitch...
  12. Re:Still applicable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If the original owners let the patent "leak" into the public domain (effectively, per the Doctrine of Laches), then such would be the condition of the patent as purchased by the new company. The patent's virginity wouldn't reinstate any more than Britney's.

    I believe that the patent has some merit and will last forever.
    Britney.

  13. Re:This is a very bad trend by arekq · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nope. Should be 15% of -10000 = -1500. :)

  14. What will happen to my patent? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I've got a really hairy ass, and I'm going to patent my design for a tool which will shave my forest effeciently, and fast.

    So far, my working prototype is a lawnmower blade attached to the crankshaft of a 600 ft. lb. Detroit Deisel engine. The real trick, so far, is not making the design smaller and portable, but making it safer to use on the other side for the bikini line. A practical analogy, to this design problem, would be the discomfort associated while mowing the lawn and running over a twig.

  15. Merge them all by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    SCO, Forgent, Amazon etc. should merge into one big dubious IP lawsuit conglomerate. They could call themselves Sueonics, One Click Lawsuits, Patent Breathing, etc.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  16. Re:gif all over again by ron_ivi · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think this jpeg group should go talk to EV1. They probably have some clients serving jpegs, and seem to have money to burn for claims like this.

  17. Then again.......... by darth_silliarse · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh shit if this patent comes into force I won't be able to reinstall Corel Draw 6!

    The nuisance of it all!

    Oh wait....

    --
    I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born - Ronald Reagan
  18. Paragraphs by nurb432 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes i do, as they tend to confuse the dimwitted majority here.

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    ---- Booth was a patriot ----