Forgent Networks owns JPEG now, and it wants everyone to prepare to pay to use the format now.

"We wanted to ensure the investment community and the general public are clear about the terms of our valuable JPEG data compression technology, one of the many technologies we have in our patent portfolio," stated Richard Snyder, chairman and chief executive officer at Forgent. "We are in ongoing discussions with other manufacturers of digital still cameras, printers, scanners and other products that use JPEG technology for licensing opportunities."

See the articles:
JPEG Patent Becoming A Battleground by Michael Singer, for Internet.com.

and

JPEG Patent Claim Sparks Concern, by Joanna Glasner, for Wired News.