The problem is not GIF. GIF uses the LZW compression which is patented
by Unisys. According to the Graphics File Format FAQ, everything
is completely okay as long as you use pre-1995 software. If you're
developing software or firmware that implements LZW compression after
1/1/1995, you need to pay a small royalty to Unisys. GIF, TIFF, PDF, and
PostScript Level II all use LZW compression and so all have this problem.
REALLY!
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/
graphics/fileformats-faq/part1/faq-doc-30.html
At any rate, unless the New Zork Times project includes writing and
selling a GIF converter, there's nothing to worry about wrt using GIFs.
I'm sure that, for a while, it seemed like both Compuserve and Unisys
wanted money for every last gif on the net. But that's not even remotely
practical and no longer true. It's just that with all the net and web
hype, some companies were getting greedy. Besides, all this hype about
the Internet is sure convenient for keeping American minds off of all the
problems with our basic society and political structure. While everyone
is watching breathlessly the trial of OJ and the porn-in-your-house
problems, we're not worried if our kids are getting beaten up by gangs
or becoming pregnant or getting high on drugs or if the lawyers and
politicians are slowly getting rich and powerful beyond all reason...
-- B E T T Y L E E | A human never stands so tall as when stooping Pegasus@Leland.Stanford.EDU | to help a small computer. -- Infocom