Subject: Bug#3972: gif2tiff is free

From: Marek Michalkiewicz <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 00:35:48 +0200 (MET DST)

Package: libtiff3-gif
Version: 3.4beta034-1

The gif2tiff program, as the name suggests, converts GIF images
to the TIF format.  This means it does LZW decompression, which
(unlike compression) is not patented (otherwise gzip wouldn't be
able to uncompress *.Z files).  While the comment "Unisys sucks"
in debian.rules is still valid :-), I think we could move this
particular program from non-free to the free libtiff3 package.

Just because it has "gif" in the name does not necessarily mean
that it's illegal.  In fact, this program helps us move from GIF
to a "more free" TIF format, so it would be a good thing to have
in the standard distribution.

Or am I missing something?

Marek

---

From: Guy Maor <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 20:23:51 -0500 (CDT)

On Wed, 31 Jul 1996, Marek Michalkiewicz wrote:

> This means it does LZW decompression, which
> able to uncompress *.Z files).

This isn't true.  See
http://rom.oit.gatech.edu:80/~willday/gifcon/gard.lzw-patents.jan8.html
Raymod Gardner, the fellow who brought this controversy to light,
wrote, ``I don't see how anyone can say that the patent doesn't cover
decompression. The words "Decompression Apparatus and Method" appear in
the Welch patent title, and claims 153 through 181 specifically mention
"decompression method".''

I looked up patent 04558302 myself and read its abstract.  It's clear
to me that it covers both compression and decompression.

>From Unisys's home, http://www.unisys.com/LeadStory/lzwfaq.html,
``...the reading and/or writing of GIF images requires a license to use
Unisys patented Lempel Ziv Welch (LZW) data compression and
decompression technology...''

So I'm keeping libtiff3-gif separate until I hear a differing opinion
from a patent attorney.

Guy