| ??? 03/15/10 06:37 Read: times |
#174145 - Yes Responding to: ???'s previous message |
On one hand, a file format can be undocumented, in which case it is hard for competitors to create compatible files, or to read existing files.
On the other hand, a manufacturer can request royalty payments for selling information about the file format, or from companies that are creating compatible files by having reverse-engineered the information. Guess why so few applications can process the classical, pre-XML, Excel or Word documents? A file format is a form of pattern, so copying the file format is similar to copying the look-and-feel of an application, and may represent a copyright violation. If you are really unlucky, a file format may also make use of patented algorithms. Remember the GIF file format, where Unisys took a very long time until they started to request royalties for the use of the LZW compression algorithm. |
