Licensed GIF software for Web use ?

Subject: GIF software licensed for Web ?
Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.www.authoring.images

Does anyone know what software is licensed by Unisys to create GIF images
(or PostScript 2 or PDF, come to that) for placing on the Web ?

This is not quite such a stupid question as it sounds. 
See:
1. http://burnallgifs.org/
2. http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzw-license.html
3. http://corp2.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzwfaq.html
from [3] which I quote:
" .... the typical Unisys license for standalone software does
 NOT permit copying, modification, resale, use on a server ....
 Internet ... or Web site ...."

Unisys say in [2] that users of software by Microsoft, Corel etc. are
"probably covered" but suggest contacting individual vendors.

I suspect the easiest course of action for users of GIMP, GD and
many other tools is simply to stop using GIFs and convert to JPEG
or PNG.


--
Andrew Daviel, TRIUMF, Canada

Received on Monday, 8 November 1999 15:26:41 UTC