TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: Do I need a licence to use JPEG (.JPG) file format comme
Subject:Re: Do I need a licence to use JPEG (.JPG) file format comme From:"Walker, Arlen P" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 2 Apr 1998 13:23:36 -0600
I'm currently writing an interactive multimedia "manual" in Visual
Basic. The manual will include some photos, and I would like to use
the JPG format. But my client has told me, that they are afraid that
distributing a commercial product which includes JPG files will need
some permission/licence from somebody, somewhere.
<include not-a-lawyer disclaimer here>
No. You never need a license or permission to use a file format. You often
need a license for the software which writes a particular file format, or
displays it, but not for the file format itself.
In the case of JPEG, the algorithm is public (at least here in the US) so
there is no license fee incurred even for the applications which read and
write it. (Unlike GIF, which contains a patented algorithm and so
commercial applications which use it are required to pay a license fee.)
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
----------------------------------------------
In God we trust; all others must provide data.
----------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.
