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<title>Why There Are No GIF files on GNU Web Pages</title> |
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<TITLE>Why no GIFs - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</TITLE> |
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<LINK REV="made" HREF="mailto:webmasters@www.gnu.org"> |
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<h2>Why There Are No GIF files on GNU Web Pages</h2> |
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<p><strong>While this story is an historical illustration of the danger of |
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<H3>Why there are no GIF files on GNU web pages</H3> |
software patents, these particular patents are now no longer a concern. As |
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of the end of September 2006, it is now safe again to use static |
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<A HREF="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><IMG SRC="/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" |
GIFs.</strong></p> |
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ALT=" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " |
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WIDTH="160" HEIGHT="200"></A> |
<p> |
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There are no GIFs on the GNU web site because of the patents (Unisys |
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<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical!!! --> |
and IBM) covering the LZW compression algorithm which is used in |
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[ |
making GIF files. These patents make it impossible to have free |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/gif.html">English</A> |
software to generate proper GIFs. They also apply to the |
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| <A HREF="/philosophy/gif.fr.html">French</A> |
<strong>compress</strong> program, which is why GNU does not use |
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| <a href="/philosophy/gif.de.html">German</a> |
it or its format. |
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| <A HREF="/philosophy/gif.ja.html">Japanese</A> |
</p> |
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| <A HREF="/philosophy/gif.ko.html">Korean</A> |
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| <A HREF="/philosophy/gif.pl.html">Polish</A> |
<p> |
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| <A HREF="/philosophy/gif.ru.html">Russian</A> |
Unisys and IBM both applied for patents in 1983. Unisys (and |
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] |
perhaps IBM) applied for these patents in a number of countries. |
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Of the places whose patent databases we were able to search, the |
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<P> |
latest expiration date seems to be 1 October 2006. |
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There are no GIFs on the GNU web site because of the patents (Unisys |
<a name="returnnote" href="#venuenote"><sup>1</sup></a> Until |
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and IBM) covering the LZW compression algorithm which is used in |
then, anyone who releases a free program for making GIF files is |
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making GIF files. These patents make it impossible to have free |
likely to be sued. We don't know any reason to think that the |
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software to generate proper GIFs. They also apply to the |
patent owners would lose these lawsuits. |
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<STRONG>compress</STRONG> program, which is why GNU does not use it or its |
</p> |
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format. |
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<p> |
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<P> |
If we released such a program, Unisys and IBM might think it wiser |
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Both Unisys and IBM applied for their patents in 1983, which means |
(for public relations reasons) not to sue a charity like the FSF. |
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they will now expire in the year 2003. Until then, anyone who |
They could instead sue the users of the program, including the |
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releases a free program for making GIF files is likely to be sued. We |
companies who redistribute GNU software. We feel it would not be |
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don't know any reason to think that the patent owners would lose these |
responsible behavior for us to set up this situation. |
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lawsuits. |
</p> |
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<P> |
<p> |
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If we released such a program, Unisys and IBM might think it wiser |
Many people think that Unisys has given permission for distributing |
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(for public relations reasons) not to sue a charity like the FSF. |
free software to make GIF format. Unfortunately that is not what |
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They could instead sue the users of the program, including the |
Unisys has actually done. Here is what Unisys actually said about |
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companies who redistribute GNU software. We feel it would not be |
the matter in 1995: |
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responsible behavior for us to set up this situation. |
</p> |
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<P> |
<p> |
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Many people think that Unisys has given permission for distributing |
<q>Unisys does not require licensing, or fees to be paid, |
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free software to make GIF format. Unfortunately that is not what |
for non-commercial, non-profit GIF-based applications, including |
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Unisys has actually done. Here is what Unisys actually said about the |
those for use on the on-line services. Concerning developers of |
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matter in 1995: |
software for the Internet network, the same principle applies. |
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Unisys will not pursue previous inadvertent infringement by developers |
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<P> |
producing versions of software products for the Internet prior to |
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1995. The company does not require licensing, or fees to be paid |
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<BLOCKQUOTE> |
for non-commercial, non-profit offerings on the Internet, including |
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<STRONG> |
"Freeware".</q> |
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Unisys does not require licensing, or fees to be paid, for |
</p> |
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non-commercial, non-profit GIF-based applications, including those for |
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use on the on-line services. |
<p> |
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Concerning developers of software for the Internet network, the |
Unfortunately, this doesn't permit |
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same principle applies. Unisys will not pursue previous inadvertent |
<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a>, only |
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infringement by developers producing versions of software products for |
<a href="/philosophy/categories.html#semi-freeSoftware">semi-free |
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the Internet prior to 1995. The company does not require licensing, |
software</a> which cannot be used in a free operating system such |
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or fees to be paid for non-commercial, non-profit offerings on the |
as GNU. It also does not permit <em>at all</em> the use of LZW |
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Internet, including "Freeware". |
for other purposes such as compression of files. This is why we |
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</STRONG> |
think it is still best to reject LZW, and switch to alternatives |
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</BLOCKQUOTE> |
such as <a href="/software/gzip/gzip.html">GNU zip</a> and PNG format. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
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Unfortunately, this doesn't permit |
<p> |
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<a href="/philosophy/selling.html">Commercial redistribution of |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</A>, only |
free software</a> is very important, and we want the GNU system as |
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a whole to be redistributed commercially. This means we can't add |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/categories.html#semi-freeSoftware">semi-free |
a GIF-generating program to GNU, not under the Unisys terms. |
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software (18k characters)</A> which cannot be used in a free operating system such as |
</p> |
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GNU. It also does not permit <em>at all</em> the use of LZW |
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for other purposes such as compression of files. This is why we |
<p> |
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had to develop <A HREF="/software/gzip/gzip.html">GNU zip</A> |
The <a href="http://www.fsf.org">Free Software Foundation</a> is a |
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as a replacement for <STRONG>compress</STRONG>. |
non-commercial, non-profit organization, so strictly speaking the |
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income from our sales of <a href="http://order.fsf.org/">CD-ROMs</a> |
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<P> |
is not "profit". Perhaps this means we could include a GIF |
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<A HREF="/philosophy/selling.html">Commercial redistribution of free |
program on our CD-ROM and claim to be acting within the scope of |
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software</A> is very important, and we want the GNU system as a whole |
the Unisys permission--or perhaps not. But since we know that |
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to be redistributed commercially. This means we can't add a |
other redistributors of GNU would be unable to include it, doing |
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GIF-generating program to GNU, not under the Unisys terms. |
this would not be very useful. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
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The <A HREF="/fsf/fsf.html">Free Software Foundation</A> is a |
<p> |
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non-commercial, non-profit organization, so strictly speaking the |
Shortly after Unisys made its announcement, when the net in general |
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income from our sales of <A HREF="http://order.fsf.org/">CD-ROMs</A> is |
was reassured thinking that Unisys had given permission for free |
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not ``profit''. Perhaps this means we could include a GIF program on |
GIF-generating software, we wrote to the Unisys legal department |
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our CD-ROM and claim to be acting within the scope of the Unisys |
asking for clarification of these issues. We did not receive a |
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permission--or perhaps not. But since we know that other |
response. |
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redistributors of GNU would be unable to include it, doing this would |
</p> |
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not be very useful. |
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<p> |
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<P> |
Even if Unisys really did give permission for free software to |
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Shortly after Unisys made its announcement, when the net in general |
generate GIFs, we would still have to deal with the IBM patent. |
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was reassured thinking that Unisys had given permission for free |
Both the IBM and the Unisys patents cover the same "invention"--the |
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GIF-generating software, we wrote to the Unisys legal department |
LZW compression algorithm. (This could reflect an error on the |
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asking for clarification of these issues. We did not receive a |
part of the US Patent and Trademark Office, which is famous for |
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response. |
incompetence and poor judgment.) |
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</p> |
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<P> |
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Even if Unisys really did give permission for free software to |
<p> |
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generate GIFs, we would still have to deal with the IBM patent. Both |
Decoding GIFs is a different issue. The Unisys and IBM patents |
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the IBM and the Unisys patents cover the same ``invention''--the LZW |
are both written in such a way that they do not apply to a program |
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compression algorithm. (This could reflect an error on the part of |
which can only uncompress LZW format and cannot compress. Therefore |
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the US Patent and Trademark Office, which is famous for incompetence |
we can and will include support for displaying GIF files in GNU |
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and poor judgment.) |
software. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
|
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Decoding GIFs is a different issue. The Unisys and IBM patents are |
<p> |
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both written in such a way that they do not apply to a program which |
Given this situation, we could still include GIF files in our web |
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can only uncompress LZW format and cannot compress. Therefore we can |
pages if we wanted to. Many other people would be happy to generate |
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and will include support for displaying GIF files in GNU software. |
them for us, and we would not be sued for having GIF files on our |
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server. |
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<P> |
</p> |
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Given this situation, we could still include GIF files in our web |
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pages if we wanted to. Many other people would be happy to generate |
<p> |
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them for us, and we would not be sued for having GIF files on our server. |
But we feel that if we can't distribute the software to enable |
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people to generate GIF files properly, then we should not have |
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<P> |
other people run such software for us. Besides, if we can't provide |
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But we feel that if we can't distribute the software to enable people |
software in GNU to generate GIF files, we have to recommend an |
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to generate GIF files properly, then we should not have other people |
alternative. We ourselves should use the alternative that we |
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run such software for us. Besides, if we can't provide software in |
recommend. |
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GNU to generate GIF files, we have to recommend an alternative. We |
</p> |
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ourselves should use the alternative that we recommend. |
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<p> |
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<P> |
In 1999, Unisys had the following to say about the issue of their |
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In 1999, Unisys had the following to say about the issue of their |
patent: |
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patent: |
</p> |
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<P> |
|
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<BLOCKQUOTE> |
<p> |
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<STRONG> |
<q>Unisys has frequently been asked whether a Unisys license |
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Unisys has frequently been asked whether a Unisys license is required |
is required in order to use LZW software obtained by downloading |
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in order to use LZW software obtained by downloading from the |
from the Internet or from other sources. The answer is simple. In |
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Internet or from other sources. The answer is simple. In all cases, a |
all cases, a written license agreement or statement signed by an |
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written license agreement or statement signed by an authorized Unisys |
authorized Unisys representative is required from Unisys for all |
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representative is required from Unisys for all use, sale or distribution |
use, sale or distribution of any software (including so-called |
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of any software (including so-called "freeware") and/or hardware |
"freeware") and/or hardware providing LZW conversion capability |
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providing LZW conversion capability (for example, downloaded software) |
(for example, downloaded software). </q> |
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</STRONG> |
</p> |
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</BLOCKQUOTE> |
|
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<P> |
<p> |
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With this statement, Unisys is trying to take back what they said in 1995 |
With this statement, Unisys is trying to take back what they said |
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when they gave parts of the patent to the public. The legality of |
in 1995 when they gave parts of the patent to the public. The |
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such a move is questionable. |
legality of such a move is questionable. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
|
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A further issue is that the LZW patents--and software patents in |
<p> |
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general--are an offense against the freedom of programmers generally, |
A further issue is that the LZW patents--and software patents in |
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and all programmers need to work together against software patents. |
general--are an offense against the freedom of programmers generally, |
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|
and all programmers need to work together against software patents. |
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<P> |
</p> |
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So even if we could find a solution to enable the free software |
|
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community to generate GIFs, that isn't really a solution, not for the |
<p> |
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problem as a whole. The solution is switching to another format and |
So even if we could find a solution to enable the free software |
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not using GIF any more. |
community to generate GIFs, that isn't really a solution, not for |
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|
the problem as a whole. The solution is switching to another format |
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<P> |
and not using GIF any more. |
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Therefore, we don't use GIF, and we hope you won't use it either. |
</p> |
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<P> |
<p> |
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It is possible to make non-compressed images that act like GIFs, in |
Therefore, we don't use GIF, and we hope you won't use it either. |
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that they work with programs that decode GIF format. This can be done |
</p> |
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without infringing patents. These pseudo-GIFs are useful for some |
|
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purposes. |
<p> |
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It is possible to make non-compressed images that act like GIFs, |
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<P> |
in that they work with programs that decode GIF format. This can |
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It is also possible to create GIFs using a patent-free run length encoding |
be done without infringing patents. These pseudo-GIFs are useful |
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but this doesn't achieve the compression that one normally expects in a |
for some purposes. |
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GIF. |
</p> |
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<P> |
<p> |
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We decided not to use these pseudo-GIFs on our web site |
It is also possible to create GIFs using a patent-free run length |
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because they are not a satisfactory solution to the community's |
encoding but this doesn't achieve the compression that one normally |
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problem. They work, but they are very large. What the web needs is a |
expects in a GIF. |
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patent-free compressed format, not large pseudo-GIFs. |
</p> |
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<P> <a href="http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/index.html">PNG format</a> is a |
<p> |
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patent-free compressed format. We hope it will become widely |
We decided not to use these pseudo-GIFs on our web site because |
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supported; then we will use it. We do have |
they are not a satisfactory solution to the community's problem. |
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<A HREF="/graphics/graphics.html">PNG versions</A> of the images on this |
They work, but they are very large. What the web needs is a |
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server. |
patent-free compressed format, not large pseudo-GIFs. |
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</p> |
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<P> |
|
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For more information about the GIF patent problems, see |
<p> |
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<a href="http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/index.html">PNG format</a> |
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<A HREF="http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/Patents/Gif/Gif.html">the League for |
is a patent-free compressed format. We hope it will become widely |
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Programming Freedom GIF page</A>. Through that page you can find more |
supported; then we will use it. We do have |
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information about the problem of software patents in general. |
<a href="/graphics/graphics.html">PNG versions</a> of the images |
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|
on this server. |
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<P> |
</p> |
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|
|
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<A HREF="http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngapbr.html">The |
<p> |
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browser support page</A> lists browsers which are compatible with |
For more information about the GIF patent problems, see |
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the PNG format and comments on how well they support it. |
<a href="http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/Patents/Gif/Gif.html">the League |
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<P> |
for Programming Freedom GIF page</a>. Through that page you can |
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find more information about the problem of software patents in |
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There's a library called <A |
general. |
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HREF="http://prtr-13.ucsc.edu/~badger/software/libungif/index.shtml">libungif</A> |
</p> |
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that reads gif files and writes uncompressed gifs to circumvent the |
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Unisys patent. |
<p> |
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<P> |
<a href="http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngapbr.html">The browser |
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<a href="http://burnallgifs.org">http://burnallgifs.org</a> is a website devoted to discouraging the use of GIF files on your website. |
support page</a> lists browsers which are compatible with the PNG |
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<HR> |
format and comments on how well they support it. |
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</p> |
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<H4><A HREF="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</A></H4> |
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<p> |
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<HR> |
There's a library called |
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|
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Return to <A HREF="/home.html">GNU's home page</A>. |
|
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<P> |
<a href="http://ca.geocities.com/libungif/"> |
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libungif</a> that reads gif files and writes uncompressed gifs to |
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Please send FSF & GNU inquiries & questions to |
circumvent the Unisys patent. |
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|
</p> |
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<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
|
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There are also <A HREF="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to |
<p> |
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contact</A> the FSF. |
<a href="http://burnallgifs.org">http://burnallgifs.org</a> is a |
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<P> |
website devoted to discouraging the use of GIF files on your website. |
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|
</p> |
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Please send comments on these web pages to |
|
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|
<h3>Footnote:</h3> |
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<A HREF="mailto:webmasters@www.gnu.org"><EM>webmasters@www.gnu.org</EM></A>, |
|
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send other questions to |
<p><a href="#returnnote" id="venuenote">1.</a> We were able to search the |
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<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
patent databases of the USA, Canada, Japan, and the European Union. The |
229 |
<P> |
Unisys patent expired on 20 June 2003 in the USA, in Europe it |
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Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc., |
expired on 18 June 2004, in Japan the patent expired on 20 June |
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59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA |
2004 and in Canada it expired on 7 July 2004. The U.S. IBM |
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<P> |
patent expired 11 August 2006, The Software Freedom Law Center says that |
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Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
after 1 October 2006, there will be no significant patent claims |
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permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.<P> |
interfering with employment of the GIF format.</p> |
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Updated: |
|
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<!-- timestamp start --> |
</div> |
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$Date$ $Author$ |
|
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<!-- timestamp end --> |
<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> |
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<HR> |
|
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</BODY> |
<div id="footer"> |
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</HTML> |
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<p> |
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Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to |
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<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><em>gnu@gnu.org</em></a>. |
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|
There are also <a href="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to contact</a> |
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the FSF. |
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|
<br /> |
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Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to |
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<a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><em>webmasters@gnu.org</em></a>. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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Please see the |
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<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations |
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README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting |
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translations of this article. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc., |
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51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA |
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<br /> |
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Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
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permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is |
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preserved. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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Updated: |
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<!-- timestamp start --> |
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$Date$ $Author$ |
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<!-- timestamp end --> |
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</p> |
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</div> |
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<div id="translations"> |
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<h3>Translations of this page</h3> |
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<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original --> |
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<!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English --> |
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<!-- If you do not have it English, please comment what the --> |
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<!-- English is. If you add a new language here, please --> |
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<!-- advise web-translators@gnu.org and add it to --> |
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<!-- - in /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG --> |
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<!-- - in /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html --> |
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<!-- one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" --> |
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<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias --> |
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<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases --> |
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<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus --> |
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<!-- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm --> |
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<ul> |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.ca.html">Català</a></li> <!-- Catalan --> |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.html">English</a></li> |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.de.html">Deutsch</a></li> <!-- German --> |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.es.html">Español</a></li> <!-- Spanish --> |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.fr.html">Français</a></li> <!-- French --> |
300 |
|
|
301 |
|
<!-- Japanese --> |
302 |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.ja.html">日本語</a></li> |
303 |
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|
304 |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.ko.html">한국어</a></li><!-- Korean --> |
305 |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.pl.html">Polski</a></li> <!-- Polish --> |
306 |
|
<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.ro.html">Română</a></li> <!-- Romanian --> |
307 |
|
|
308 |
|
<!-- Russian/Russkij --> |
309 |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.ru.html">Русский</a></li> |
310 |
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<li><a href="/philosophy/gif.sr.html">Српски</a></li> <!-- Serbian --> |
311 |
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</ul> |
312 |
|
</div> |
313 |
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|
314 |
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|
315 |
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</div> |
316 |
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|
317 |
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</body> |
318 |
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</html> |