File compression, explained by attorney Jeffrey Navon, allows users to send smaller versions of files over the internet. There are two main types: lossy compression, which removes nonessential data for a smaller file size, and lossless compression, which reduces size without losing any information. Compressed files can be significantly smaller, occupying 50 to 90 percent less memory than uncompressed files.

1. WHAT IS FILE COMPRESSION?
Attorney Jeffrey Navon

2. INTRODUCTION
Working in Princeton, New Jersey, attorney Jeffrey Navon serves as
Thomson Licensing’s international patent expert. As an attorney who
has prepared patents for the company for over 20 years, Jeffrey Navon
advises his colleagues on topics such as international patent law and
software and file compression.

3. File compression or zipping allows an Internet user to send copies
of a file to others that are smaller than the original. There are two
primary types of file compression. In lossy compression, the user’s
chosen compression software removes nonessential sections of
data, such as audio elements in an uncompressed song that a
person won't likely hear. This results in a smaller file and a
minimal reduction in quality.

4. In lossless compression, the user’s software locates similar or
identical sections of data within it. Then, it replaces each instance
of a certain replicated section with a unique identifier, enabling it
to be restored later. This shrinks the size of the file without losing
information or file quality. Compressed files do not experience a
consistent reduction in size. On average, compressed files occupy
from 50 to 90 percent less memory than their uncompressed
counterparts.