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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: GIF write support
From:       Don Sanders <dsanders () cch ! com ! au>
Date:       2000-04-06 1:32:11
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On Thu, 06 Apr 2000, Dirk A . Mueller wrote:
> On Mit, 05 Apr 2000, mosfet wrote:
> 
> > Okay, well how serious is this threat and how much of it is reactionary?
> 
> Hmm, btw, doesn't expire the patent in the very near future (july 2000?)?

I have my doubts.

The RSA patent 

http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US04405829__

was issued on Sept. 20, 1983 and according to this page

http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/faq/6-3-1.html

expires this year (2000). So it's going to last 17 years.



This page

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www.corel.com/draw8mac_le/eula.htm

states
"products that provide PDF and/or TIFF-LZW and/or GIF and/or Postscript-LZW
and/or LZW graphics capability utilize technology covered by U.S. Patent No.
4,558,302, and all foreign counterparts (“Unisys Patent”)."

Now that patent

http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn=US04558302__

was issued on Dec. 10, 1985, so assuming that it also has a 17 year expiry date
(and I doubt it would be shorter) it won't expire until the end of 2002.

But I could be wrong.

BFN,
Don.

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