GIFs in the tcm binary package

[Andrew M. Inggs]

Benjamin Riefenstahl wrote:
> It is covered by the patent of course, but as I understand it, Unisys
> doesn't require license fees for decompressing GIFs, making
> decompressing free (as in "free beer").  And as Daniel said,
> distribution of GIFs alone probably doesn't touch the patent anyway.
> 

The Unisys website seems to imply that both compression and 
decompression require a license: <http://www.unisys.com/about__unisys/lzw>

See also <http://burnallgifs.org/> and <http://lzw.info/> [1], which has 
this to say:

"""
Only the software employing the LZW algorithm for writing GIF files is 
"at risk". The Unisys patent includes claims which specifically cover 
the decompression of LZW-compressed material, so it may also affect 
simple GIF readers. Several patent attorneys consulted on this matter 
have concluded that decompression-only programs do not infringe upon the 
Unisys patent. Unisys however does not appear to share this opinion.
"""

[1] shortcut to <http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html>

-- Andrew