[gNewSense-users] Is ZIP a free file format?

[Luis Felipe Lopez Acevedo]

Hello all,

I'm trying to make a list of free file formats to recommend to the
national education service of my country and I'd like to know if the ZIP
file is free. Wikipedia confuses me because it says that it is an open
file format[1] and also list it as a free file format[2]. And I can't
deduce it from the specification[3].

I appreciate any help or directions for a better place to ask this.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_%28file_format%29
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_file_format
3. http://www.pkware.com/documents/casestudies/APPNOTE.TXT