"I invented image compression technology"

[Moose Tracks]

Here we go again!

 

The patent in question this time is a 1997 (this was the year it was applied for) image compression and decompression technology that a company named S3 has invented. While I'm not entirely sure if this is an "idea patent" or an actual piece of working technology that was patented, it's apparently being applied to Apple. It's being applied to the point where any iItem except the iMac and non-touch iPods might not be imported, as S3 is wanting this stopped until they get money, er, until the lawsuit is finished.

 

Now for the record, this isn't the first time someone invented something that Apple may or may not be using and it won't be the last either.

 

Here are the patents involved:

 

No. 7,043,087, for an image processing system, issued in May 2006; No. 6,775,417, for fixed-rate, block-based image compression with inferred pixel values, issued in August 2004; No. 6,683,978, also for fixed-rate, block-based image compression with inferred pixel values, issued in January 2004; and No. 6,658,146, also for fixed-rate image compression, issued in December 2003.