1999.09.27 21:54 "JBIG in TIFF?", by Mark Knibbs
Thread
1999.09.30 13:51 "Re: JBIG in TIFF?", by Tom Lane
Apparently it's legal since there is a jbig library under the GPL: ftp://ftp.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/pub/doc/ISO/JBIG/
I assume it wouldn't be around and ImageMagic wouldn't be using it if there were legal problems.
Unfortunately you assume wrong. The developer of that free JBIG code is outside the US and is blithely ignoring the patent issue. If you use his code in the US then you need to worry about securing the appropriate patent licenses.
JBIG has at least the same patent problems as arithmetic-coded JPEG (patents owned by IBM, AT&T, and Mitsubishi, if memory serves) and may have some more all its own.
regards, tom lane
organizer, Independent JPEG Group