The sperry patent is international. http://www.cpe.surrey.ac.uk/support/faq/gif_lzw.htm
The funny part is the selfsame stuff that makes GIF viewers non-free is blithely in gzip. Ah well, consistency has never been a hallmark of patents WRT non-free. On Wed, 29 Aug 2001, Hamish Moffatt wrote: >On Wed, Aug 29, 2001 at 01:02:50AM -0400, Brian Ristuccia wrote: >> Additionally, it's still unclear if instructions (computer or not) >> explaining how to perform a patented process are capable of being restricted >> by a patent. Traditionally, patents have applied only to building/performing >> the invention, not to writing code or books about how to make/do it. In the >> past, Debian has allowed source code which explains how to perform patented >> processes such as LZW encoding to be distributed from non-US. > >Isn't that only because those patents (in particular LZW) don't >apply outside of the US? > > >Hamish > -- Sacred cows make the best burgers Who is John Galt? [EMAIL PROTECTED], that's who!!!
