From: ssteele@eff.org (Shari Steele) Newsgroups: comp.compression,comp.graphics,comp.infosystems.www.providers,comp.org.eff.talk,gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Count EFF In Date: 6 Jan 1995 14:18:19 -0600Jim Freeman writes:
The EFF/LPF could assist this process with some legal savvy in suggesting which versions (or portions thereof) of the extant GIF standards can be used without encumbrance. This would be the "Legal Issues Group" (LIG). They could also be a site for collecting some funds for reimbursing project participants for pizza, Chinese food, long-distance phone calls, and other tangible costs incurred up through Jan 10. Let me know who winds up doing this, and I'll cough up $50. Content and tools providers with vested interest and a lot to lose might want to be a good bit more generous than that.
EFF would be happy to find and work with competent pro bono legal counsel to help with this (since none of us are patent attorneys per se and we want to make sure we do this right). Not only are we willing to collect funds for reimbursing project participants for the necessary pizza and jolt expenses -- we will match all funds we collect, up to $1000, and throw in EFF memberships to each person donating more than $100. Any funds that are not used for this purpose will be saved in an account that is earmarked for fighting future net threats only.
Go for it!
Shari
Shari Steele, Director of Legal Services ssteele@eff.org Electronic Frontier Foundation 202/861-7700 (voice) 1667 K Street, N.W., Suite 801 202/861-1258 (fax) Washington, DC 20006-1605 202/861-1224 (BBS)