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From: ken@rochester.ARPA (Ken Yap)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: Copyright status of ARC, LZW, and COMPRESS programs questioned
Message-ID: <27622@rochester.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 9-May-87 18:04:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.27622
Posted: Sat May  9 18:04:08 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 10-May-87 05:56:22 EDT
References: <KPETERSEN.12301039127.BABYL@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Reply-To: ken@rochester.UUCP (Ken Yap)
Distribution: world
Organization: U of Rochester, CS Dept, Rochester, NY
Lines: 10

I thought the L-Z compression algorithm was published in a journal for
all to see.  Furthermore, I may be wrong, but it is my understanding
that one cannot patent algorithms (being "laws of nature"), although
one can patent realizations of an algorithm. So if I read the journal
article and went off and wrote a C program based on the algorithm I'd
have no problems.

Disclaimer: I may be talking rubbish.  Anybody know better?

	Ken