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View Full Version : JPEG Patent overturned


prizrak
May 30th, 2006, 11:57 PM
US Patent and Trademark Office has declared that the patent for JPEG image compression was given in error as there were some other prototype technologies of the same type at the time of filing. So barring a reversal JPEG will now be a free/open format as I understand the situation.
mostwanted
May 31st, 2006, 06:59 AM
JPEG has always been an open standard.
prizrak
May 31st, 2006, 05:54 PM
JPEG has always been an open standard.
But it was patented, I suppose I meant to say free not open.
mostwanted
May 31st, 2006, 07:46 PM
Well, those patents have either been illegal or worthless. ISO standards cannot have restrictions on usage.
BoyOfDestiny
May 31st, 2006, 07:55 PM
Well, those patents have either been illegal or worthless. ISO standards cannot have restrictions on usage.

Well, does that mean MS's openXML won't be an ISO approved standard?

It is patented... MS can choose to dictate who can and cannot use it (although they've "promised" not to.)
bruce89
May 31st, 2006, 08:03 PM
Well, does that mean MS's openXML won't be an ISO approved standard?

It is patented... MS can choose to dictate who can and cannot use it (although they've "promised" not to.)
I thought OpenDocument was patented too?
BoyOfDestiny
May 31st, 2006, 08:07 PM
I thought OpenDocument was patented too?

Wow, just googled that. I had no idea...

http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2005-10-04-a.html

On September 30, 2005 Sun Microsystems published a declaration of non-enforcement of its U.S. and foreign patents against any implementation of the Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) v1.0 Specification or of any subsequent version of ODF. This non-assertion covenant is being praised as a creative mechanism for patent management in the OASIS open standards development context — a "model for patent protection that doesn't involve the glorification of software patents."

Oh well, I guess anything can be patented nowadays...