[Free-sklyarov-uk] Bruce Perens

[Chris Lightfoot]

On Thu, Jul 25, 2002 at 08:27:52AM +0100, Jim Peters wrote:
> Chris Lightfoot wrote:
> > > Actually, recently, with this whole JPEG thing, it is a shame that
> > > Forgent don't appear to have a UK office we could protest outside.  
> > 
> > Surely they do not have a patent in this country?
> 
> But won't we be affected in any case if they get their way?  The ISO
> drops it as a standard, the entire digitial-imaging industry fumbles
> around either paying up or adopting a new image format, browsers have
> to be updated, tools rewritten, and so on and so on.

Yeah, that's true, but at least most of the work would by
necessity be done by people in the United States.

> Do you really think it is possible that the US will become a non-JPEG
> zone, leaving the rest of the world to carry on as before?  That is
> quite an interesting idea.  Digital camaras that are not available in
> the US, software not available in the US.  Hmmm ...  I can't really
> see it happening, though.

Unlikely, but it would have the useful effect of
demonstrating how foolish the US patent situation is.

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