Subject: More on Adobe concerns

From: "Scott Foshee" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 19:34:38 -0800

Thanks to Mr. Rafferty for his timely response to my e-mail; it has helped
me to understand where some of the confusion lay.  It is my hope this
e-mail helps clarify some of our concerns.  Please accept my apology if my
articulation of the Adobe position is in any way unclear.

Adobe has maintained the TIFF standard as a community resource in addition
to it being a key capability of many of our applications.  Its primary use
is in the wrapping of photographic type image data.  The ability of Adobe
and our customers to use TIFF in an unencumbered manner is an essential
element to it being a resource useful to Adobe, our customers, and the many
organizations with products based on TIFF.  Adobe seeks to maintain TIFF as
an image file format unencumbered by royalty fees or other restrictions.

Although Adobe has not participated in TIFF FX development since the spring
of 1998, I have been in contact with the TIFF FX editors on numerous
occasions spanning from 1998 to the present.  Throughout, I have indicated
that the candidate TIFF 7 specification upon which TIFF-FX is based has not
been approved.  Thus, TIFF FX is not a valid use of our license
grant.....due to the portions of the TIFF FX document that depend on TIFF 7
technology (rather than TIFF 6).  This is primarily due to the M profile.
As TIFF FX editors, I would have expected Mr. Buckley or Mr. McIntyre to
communicate this deficiency to the IETF rather than progress the work. 

Regardless, Adobe continues to be concerned regarding the IESG moving TIFF
FX forward.  Adobe remains supportive of the efforts of the TIFF FX
committee and is willing to review proposals for changing TIFF Version 6 as
an alternative to the IETF changing TIFF FX.  The Candidate TIFF submission
form as explained in the TIFF policy document is the appropriate method of
submitting change proposals.  Before TIFF FX moves any further forward, we
would like to review Xerox's response to our December 21 e-mail and
understand the IETF position.

Please use me as your point of contact within Adobe regarding all TIFF and
TIFF FX matters.  I will be attending the March 19th Internet Fax meeting.
We look forward to hearing from the IETF as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Scott Foshee

Scott Foshee, Ph.D.			v: 408-536-4299
Adobe Systems Inc.			f: 408-537-4198
345 Park Ave.			[email-masked]
San Jose, CA			http://www.adobe.com

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From: Scott Bradner <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 22:46:57 -0500 (EST)

> Throughout, I have indicated
> been approved. 

can you please expand on "not been approved" somewhat - who has not 
approved TIFF 7? - and what do you mean by "approved" - approved
as a technical specification or approved for some use or ...

Scott