This is great news. Although the patent has only expired in the US due to the 20 year rule, it will most certainly make it possible for Open Source products to start supporting GIF again without having to pay blood money to the patent holder.
Among the products that have already received patches are GD (Graphics library, used in PHP et. al).
[Via Pnut’s Thoughts]
I most sincerely hope GIF will continue to stagnate. PNG is a format that is so technically superior it deserves to win.