RM> The article doesn't say who actually wrote the LZW algorithm.

db> LZW = Lempel, Ziv and Welch (actually, it's Welch's modifications to
db> Lempel and Ziv's algorithm).  I'll dig up the official announcements
db> and post them here.

db> Be aware, that IBM also has a patent on the *same* (they claim)
db> algorithm (but are not chasing GIF developers at this stage).

BG> Interesting.  So how does this all sit with V.42bis (BTLZ, or British
BG> Telecom Lempel Ziv) data compression, which I had always understood
BG> to be a PD compression algorithm ?

Same problem fanged their arse too.

Software patents have been fanging arses quite a bit in the last few years.

--- PQWK202