Unisys patent

[Charles Wilson]

Elfyn McBratney wrote:
> I posted a reply to this earlier but it's just not my day for "doing things
> right". I shouldn't publicise my bad language skills, should I?! :-)
> 
>   Please don't do this. From tomorrow the Unisys LZW patent will be defunct in
>   the US, and again a day later in Canada. That still leaves serveral countries
>   in Europe and Japan who have to wait a year (18/20 June 2004 IIRC) before
>   being able to use it.
> 
>   Putting this or any other LZW-aware software on the Cygwin mirror system is a
>   seriously bad idea. We have mirror's in most if not all of the above
>   countries and if they distribute LZW-aware software they're in violation of
>   their countries patent laws. Same for Joe Hacker who downloads it, too.
> 

Sorry, I honestly didn't realize that any other country was STUPID 
enough to allow a patent on this blindingly obvious algorithm which had 
TONS of prior art at the time it was submitted.  (Have you looked at it? 
It's like, 40 lines of fairly simple code)

Silly me.  It seems every country's patent office is staffed by drooling 
imbeciles.

Oh well -- less work for me.

--
Chuck