Technology · 3
Whose patent on the LZW compression algorithm led to a 1994 licensing dispute that threatened the future of the GIF image format?
Answer
Unisys
Unisys held a patent covering the LZW compression algorithm embedded in GIF files and began demanding royalty payments from software makers in 1994, sparking outrage among early web developers.
💡 Did you know?
GIF creator CompuServe faced Unisys patent lawsuit over the format in 1994, nearly destroying the image standard everyone used on early websites.
Other options people guess
- IBM
- AT&T
- Xerox
Topics
- patents
- 1990s
- internet-history
- legal-battles
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