From: MikkelFJ <mikkelj-anti-spam@...1.dknet.dk>
Date: 2001-11-25T09:19:05+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:26388] Re: generating and serving SVG


"ts" <decoux@moulon.inra.fr> wrote in message
news:200111241033.fAOAX9c17490@moulon.inra.fr...
> >>>>> "M" == MikkelFJ  <mikkelj-anti-spam@post1.dknet.dk> writes:
>
> M> Here are some links from my personal Wiki
>
>  See also
>
>   http://www.w3.org/2001/07/SVG10-IPR-statements.html
>
>  Someone can comment about these patents (I know nothing on this subject)
?

I also cannot comment on the details of the patent statements - but I can
give my expectations on the future development:

The Adobe font system is a very powerful technology which in itself is
worthy of heavy patents and royalties. A long time back Adobe tried to cash
in on postscript fonts as add-on to Windows, but Microsoft created TrueType
fonts. Later Adobe has created the Acrobat viewer which has been available
for free - the rationale being that Adobe will cash in on the authoring
tools. I expect the same pattern to be repeated with SVG.
Royalties may circulate, but that might be that IBM got some percentages
from Adobes revenue from SVG authoring techonology in return for delivering
some technology to Adobes SVG viewer. The viewer as such will be availabe
for free to the end user.
Also there is competion and many of the players have a common interest in
establishing a standard - and have recently been more open to the
Open-Source movement. The rationale being: deploy the technology as wide as
possible and avoid MS dominance.
I therefore believe that money will be made by selling authoring tools but
the viewer technology as a platform will be free for some versions or
relatively cheap in other versions.
This is a long term trend seen with Java platforms, Acrobat, database
engines, web browser, audio/video players.
SVG players will become and integrated part of several operating systems. It
may be that such deployment will involve royalties paid as part of the price
of the operating system - i.e. Windows and Mac OS X, while a separate free
licence will be available for free platforms like Linux and FreeBSD.


MikkelFJ