Page 218 - DCAP303_MULTIMEDIA_SYSTEMS

Multimedia Systems

notes Unfortunately, the issue of patent infringement came up almost immediately. Although Unisys
did not enforce their copyright for many years, the idea of the format having copyright issues
at all was a cause for concern. Some CompuServe users immediately removed all the GIFs on
their sites, or converted their graphics to JPEG or other formats that were not covered by the
Unisys patents. Many other Web designers continued to use GIFs with little concern for the
legalities, or were ignorant of the entire question. CompuServe quickly backed off of the issue.
They claimed that they would have nothing to do with the debate, and any legal arguments
were between Unisys and third parties. Interestingly, Unisys’s original patent is due to expire
in 2003; no word yet as to whether Unisys intends to extend their patent.
Unisys enforces its Copyright
Unisys did not begin to enforce its copyright until December 1994, when it announced that,
as it owned the compression method used to make GIFs, any Websites that used GIFs not
produced by Unisys-licensed software must pay the company a staggering $5,000. Unisys
required:
“[a] one-time payment of $5,000.00 U.S. for each license agreement (limited to two servers at
each licensed Website), or [sic] a single payment of $7,500 U.S. for a license for both Billboard
and Intranet.”

The idea came under fire immediately. According to the outraged owners of BurnAllGifs, an
organization opposed to Unisys’s assertion of control over the GIF format:

“The fact that Unisys was able to patent LZW is due to a flaw in the US patent system that
makes even pencil-and-paper calculations patentable. You could violate some US patents just
doing the story problems in a math or computer science textbook!”
When Unisys first announced that it would begin to enforce its copyright claims, they stated
that they had no interest in pursuing patent infringement claims on anyone using GIFs for
non-profit or personal uses, or against freeware developers who created GIF-making utilities.
However, in September 1999, they issued a “clarification” that stated anyone using GIFs was
subject to a patent infringement claim from Unisys if they used GIFs on any Internet or intranet
site. You can imagine the furor that particular claim has caused. There’s a strong movement
on the Web that advocates the abandonment of the GIF entirely in defiance of Unisys’s claims,
but as we well know, GIFs are still the graphic of choice for many Web designers.
the fate of the Humble Gif

Where that leaves today’s GIF users is not completely clear. While legal opinion varies, most
lawyers involved in the issue seriously doubt that GIF users, such as myself and SitePoint,
are in any danger of breaking any patent law — only the makers of graphics utilities that are
capable of creating GIFs are responsible for any copyright or licensure fees. The best guess
seems to be that if you are using GIFs created by licensed programs (and most of the big boys
like Paint Shop Pro, Illustrator, etc. have long since paid their fees to Unisys), you are OK.
If you maintain a personal or non-profit Website, you might technically be in violation, but
Unisys is not going to bother you. However, if you are using GIFs on your for-profit page,
or you are a software developer who markets a GIF creation program without a license from
Unisys, you might get contacted one of these fine days.
Obviously this is NOT intended to be any kind of legal opinion or guideline; if in doubt, talk
to a lawyer familiar with the issue, or contact Unisys at LZW_INFO@unisys.com.
Questions:
1. What is meant by of LZW? Explain its use in image formatting.
2. What was the main purpose to develop GIF graphics?

212 LoveLy professionaL University