Patent Office rejects some Forgent claims on JPEG

Patent authorities have rejected some of the patent claims on JPEG technology asserted by Forgent Networks.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark office rejected 19 of 46 claims held by Forgent, a licensor of intellectual property. Forgent is in litigation with 30 companies regarding the patent, including Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer and Panasonic, according to a press release found on the company's Web site.

Phone calls to Forgent were not returned. It's still unclear whether the patent office's decision will harm the company's ability to enforce its patent. Forgent has collected around $105 million in royalties from different electronics and software companies. In a press release, Forgent said the patent office's decision is not final.

JPEG is a popular data compression technology used to store digital photos.

"We understand this is an extended process and we are pleased with the progress of the patent reexamination," said Richard Snyder, CEO of Forgent Networks. "We believe the remaining claims are also valid, and we will work directly with the Patent and Trademark Office to clarify and defend our position."