Date:         Mon, 30 Aug 1999 07:24:47 +1000
Reply-To:     Tim Churches <tchur@bigpond.com>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Tim Churches <tchur@BIGPOND.COM>
Subject:      Are GIFs produced by SAS licensed by Unisys?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Apparently Unisys, who claim to have a US patent on the LZW compression
algorithm used in GIF (Web) graphics, are trying to collect license fees
(only $5000) from operators of Web (and intranet) servers who serve up GIF
files produced by unlicensed software - seems that software vendors can
license the use of the LZW compression algorithm from Unisys for some
undisclosed fee. See http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzw-license.html
for details.

I was wondering if anyone knows whether SI has such a license from Unisys
for the GIF driver in SAS/GRAPH? I am fairly certain that this is of no
concern to anyone outside the US since the Unisys patent is registered in
the US only (where the law apparently allows patenting of algorithms which
were already described in the public domain), and it is not an international
patent. Can anyone confirm or clarify this? Not something anyone should lose
any sleep over - Unisys have been trying to re-invent themselves as a
service company, and unless they want to be become a commercial litigation
company and abandon the computer industry for ever, I can't see them getting
very far with this initiative (which they tried back in 1994/95 without
success).

Tim Churches
Sydney, Australia