Re: [png-mng-implement] Apple patent application

[Tom L. <tg...@ss...>]

Max Stepin <ne...@gm...> writes:
>> The PNG spec demonstrates prior art

> It that really an obstacle?

Well, as long as they acknowledge the spec as prior art, they can't get
a patent on anything described by the spec.  So we don't need to care.
If they get a patent on a nonstandard extension, so what?

The part of this that seems distressing is that Apple might cause
not-quite-PNGs to start appearing in the wild, creating compatibility
havoc.  I think the patent aspect of it is not nearly as problematic.

			regards, tom lane