Forgent Sues Over JPEG Patent

Forgent Networks said Friday it sued 31 major hardware and software vendors, including Dell and Apple Computers, for allegedly infringing on its claim to an algorithm used in the popular JPEG picture file format.

In use since the mid-1980s, the JPEG, or Joint Photographic Experts Group, format has become the de facto standard for sharing photo-quality images electronically. Although the most widely used version of the format is in the public domain, Forgent said it believes that a 17-year-old patent it acquired through the purchase of Compression Labs in 1997 can be applied to a specific algorithm in the format.

Forgent's critics say the new lawsuit is yet another example of how the practice of using patents to generate revenue is endangering the computing industry. It isn't the first time the company has been criticized for trying to enforce the compression patent. In 2002, when Forgent first announced that it would seek JPEG licensing fees, the public outcry led JPEG committee member Richard Clarke to speculate in an interview with The Register that the International Standards Organization would have to withdraw the format altogether.