2nd September 2002
Question: I've heard from a friend that someone owns the GIF format and that I have to pay that person every time I want to use a GIF image on my Website, is that true? If so does that mean that they own my GIF graphics too?
Answer: There's nothing like being asked the hard-hitting questions. First, you need to understand that GIF format files are made using a special compression format called LZW (named after Lempel-Ziv-Welch). The LZW compression format is patented by the Unisys Corporation. The patent doesn't expire until 2003. Unisys tried to say that it owned the GIF format, but it really only owned the GIF creation process. This is how I understand the GIF situation now: You can create and own royalty-free GIFs, but if you want to make a program that creates GIFs, you need to get licensing from the Unisys Corporation. Your GIFs are yours because you made them and I doubt anyone will approach you about them. If you are still worried, then I would suggest you just convert your GIFs into the open-source PNG format.