[Discussioni] newsscan

[Francesco Potorti`]

PICTURE THIS: COMPANY CLAIMS JPEG PATENT
Forgent Networks, based in Austin, Texas, is claiming that a patent it 
holds covering a "coding system for reducing redundancy" directly applies 
to the compression technique used in the creation of JPEG images. The 
patent originally was granted to Compression Labs in 1986 and later 
acquired by Forgent, which says it will now seek licensing revenue from 
companies that use JPEG "in all fields of use," with the sole exception of 
the satellite broadcast business. Last month, Forgent sealed a licensing 
deal with Sony, and a company spokeswoman says it's in discussions with 
several other companies, but did not disclose names. In a statement 
published last week, Forgent said the patent could apply to companies that 
make "devices used to compress, store, manipulate, print or transmit 
digital images." The licensing plan has sparked concern among many users of 
digital imaging technology. "It's sort of an ambushing kind of thing," says 
one digital photography hobbyist. (Wired.com 19 Jul 2002)
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,53981,00.html