The Legality of using GIF images ???

[Scott Rossi]

On 6/13/03 9:56 AM, "Mathewson" <richmond at mail.maclaunch.com> wrote:

> Yesterday a friend of mine told me that it was unwise to
> use GIF images in any sort of software (even freeware) as
> the Compuserve people would be after my blood.
> 
> I don't know if this is true.........

This is completely false.

If displaying GIF images was a crime then every Web developer in the world
would be in jail for lack of paying license fees.

At issue can be building an application that can *create* or *export* GIF
images (a la Photoshop, FireWorks, etc).  Unless you are developing an app
to save GIF images, there is no issue.

Related: I've *heard* that the statute of limitations on the GIF format is
coming near its end, so maybe all the licensing stuff will fall by the
wayside soon.  In the meantime, PNG is an excellent format to work with, if
not completely compatible with old technology (browsers, etc).

Regards,

Scott Rossi
Creative Director
Tactile Media, Multimedia & Design
-----
E: scott at tactilemedia.com
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