Mika Tuupola wrote:
>
> Remember the GIF fiasco? Will there be a JPEG one?
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26272.html
>
You mean everyone hasn't moved over to .png when the .gif/.tif
shakedown happened? Don't tell me it's true! Time to ask
yourself, "Was I ever approached about the .gif graphics used
in *my* content/programs?"; Alternatively, you might want to
look at what happened to Unisys's stock 6 months before/after
to the sudden "enforcement" of their IP rights. In general, the
announcement caused such an uproar that Unisys had to clarify
and announced *new* licensing policies as soon as January
1995.
The economic impact of IP enforcement? Unisys's December 28th
1994 announcement caused a small spike of ~$US4 and after a
few ups and downs, it then tumbled to new lows that lasted
for almost 3 years (until June 1998). Anyone who invests
based upon these types of IP enforcement announcements runs
the definite risk of getting screwed (unless you're in the
market for he long term... and if you look Unisys stock is
currently *at* the lows they saw after their announcement almost
8 years ago, without any splits to absorb investor's long term
pain).
Of course the entire episode might play out differently with
a small holding company that can easily track its success
at IP shakedo... uh, I mean enforcement. Their stock has
roughly doubled from the weeks before and after the Sony
licensing deal (probably speculation), but it's still in a
plateau and looks like it's beginning to decay. Given that
it's not a particularly strong stock, there's not much room
for a fall and could easily run the risk of being de-listed
if they revisit stock values of less than a year ago.
As for Sony, Sony management probably wipes its collective
butts on a daily basis with the paid licensing. My opinion
is that Sony is doing what is prudent to protect its US
market; I don't think their move has anything to do with
the domestic market.
Personally, I'd look at smaller companies if you're trend
hunting in an attempt to see if this enforcement if "for real".
Of course, nobody is required to disclose licensing deals, so
you'll need to look for more subtle signs (mass firmware upgrades,
wholesale content movement among imode partners, etc.) or
use the good-old-boy network to do your DD.
For more information and background concerning the .gif/.tif
IP enforcement check out:
http://cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html
The lesson to be learned? There's prior art and then there's
prior history that establishes *exactly* what companies and
their lawyers can actually accomplish when attempting these
maneuvers.
(Personal aside: The Register==Slashdot Hysteria without the comments)
Received on Sun Jul 21 06:04:44 2002