Phil Katz

Phil Katz (1962 – April 14, 2000) was an American computer programmer best known as the creator of the PKZIP file compression utility and the associated .ZIP file format. He founded PKWARE, Inc. to distribute his software.

Katz's PKZIP was initially a response to SEA's (System Enhancement Associates) ARC compression program and its associated archiving shell, ARCshell. He argued that his software was more efficient and faster. A legal dispute arose between SEA and PKWARE over the distribution of PKARC and PKPAK, which SEA claimed infringed upon their copyright and trademark.

The ensuing legal battle with SEA garnered significant attention within the burgeoning PC software scene. Ultimately, SEA prevailed in court, leading to the withdrawal of PKARC and PKPAK. However, PKZIP continued to gain popularity due to its performance and the open specification of the .ZIP format, which encouraged wider adoption and development of compatible software by third parties.

The .ZIP format, largely due to Katz's work, became one of the most widely used archive formats on personal computers and the internet. It's still frequently used for archiving files, distributing software, and various other data compression applications.

Despite his technical contributions, Katz struggled with personal issues later in life. He faced legal troubles related to substance abuse and was found dead in a hotel room in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2000. His death was attributed to complications from chronic alcoholism.