Difference between revisions of "Audio-video patents"
(→Making innovation commercially disadvantageous: <ref>http://www.w3.org/2007/08/video/positions/Nokia.pdf</ref>) |
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| − | Audio-video is a domain of computer science plagued by thickets of [[software patents]]. | + | Audio-video is a domain of computer science plagued by thickets of [[software patents]]. |
==Difficulty of video innovation== | ==Difficulty of video innovation== | ||
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So, due to software patents, Nokia sees a commercial advantage in using technology from 20 years ago. | So, due to software patents, Nokia sees a commercial advantage in using technology from 20 years ago. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Are ALL formats encumbered?== |
| − | + | (dump of links, I'll turn it into text later) | |
| + | |||
| + | http://www.osnews.com/story/23058/Theora_More_of_a_Patent_Threat_than_H264_Wait_What_ | ||
| + | |||
| + | http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=11746 | ||
| − | == | + | http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:O6bmbLpdB1gJ:www.sdtimes.com/DOES_WINDOWS_COST_MICROSOFT_OPPORTUNITIES_/By_David_Worthington/About_NET_and_WINDOWS/34203+http://www.sdtimes.com/link/34203&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk |
| − | + | (I don't know if that last Google cache link is stable, but I have a local copy too.) | |
==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}== | ==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}== | ||
| + | |||
* [[MPEG video formats]] - including H.264 | * [[MPEG video formats]] - including H.264 | ||
* [[Harm to standards]] | * [[Harm to standards]] | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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* [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/07/patent_crackdown_at_cebit/ 180 German police perform raid regarding software patents] | * [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/07/patent_crackdown_at_cebit/ 180 German police perform raid regarding software patents] | ||
* Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Licensing_and_patent_issues MP3#Licensing and patent issues] | * Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Licensing_and_patent_issues MP3#Licensing and patent issues] | ||
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* [[FFII]] page on mpeg licences: [http://swpat.ffii.org/patente/wirkungen/mpeg/index.en.html MPEG-related patents on compression of acoustic data] | * [[FFII]] page on mpeg licences: [http://swpat.ffii.org/patente/wirkungen/mpeg/index.en.html MPEG-related patents on compression of acoustic data] | ||
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060612210555/http://web.media.mit.edu/~eds/mpeg-patents-faq mpeg-patents-faq ("especially for audio compression")] | * [http://web.archive.org/web/20060612210555/http://web.media.mit.edu/~eds/mpeg-patents-faq mpeg-patents-faq ("especially for audio compression")] | ||
| + | * [http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2008/09/federal-circu-2.html Lucent loses $1.5b award in Lucent v. Gateway, Dell, & Microsoft] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 15:04, 25 March 2010
Audio-video is a domain of computer science plagued by thickets of software patents.
Contents
Difficulty of video innovation
When explaining why Google were not supporting the patent-free Ogg Theora codec, Chris DiBona replied "here's the challenge: Can theora move forward without infringing on the other video compression patents?"[1]
Making innovation commercially disadvantageous
Nokia's 2007 position paper regarding video codecs in the w3c's HTML5 standard suggested using software from 20 years ago:
A second alternative would be the reference, as a baseline, of older media compression standards, of which one can be reasonably sure that related patents are expired (or are close to expiration). One example for these codecs is ITU-T Rec. H.261, which (in its first version) was ratified in November 1988. While not competitive with today’s state of the art codecs, it’s in the author’s personal experience not that far in its performance from [...] The disadvantage of this approach is clearly the use of technologies that are two decades old, but that may be at least partly offset by the commercial advantage.[2]
(emphasis added)
So, due to software patents, Nokia sees a commercial advantage in using technology from 20 years ago.
Are ALL formats encumbered?
(dump of links, I'll turn it into text later)
http://www.osnews.com/story/23058/Theora_More_of_a_Patent_Threat_than_H264_Wait_What_
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=11746
(I don't know if that last Google cache link is stable, but I have a local copy too.)
Related pages on ESP Wiki
- MPEG video formats - including H.264
- Harm to standards
- Example software patents
- Real Media - audio and video formats with patent problems[3]
- List of recordings and transcripts
- Why consumer organisations should be involved
External links
- 180 German police perform raid regarding software patents
- Wikipedia: MP3#Licensing and patent issues
- gnu.org: Why audio format matters
- Rob Savoye, at the end of a Gnash talk, mentions a CodecPatents project (the project has a placeholder website)
- Mozilla Foundation comments, January 2010: HTML5 video and codecs, and Video, Freedom And Mozilla
- One of the relevant patents: US5,214,678 (relevant to what??)
- Let’s Get Video on Wikipedia! - campaign launched by Open Video Alliance
Difficulty of developing players
- Does FFmpeg infringe patents? We don't know
- Videolan: VideoLAN is seriously threatened by software patents...
- Ubuntu forum discussion about whether and how ffmpeg can be distributed
Mp3 audio problems
- FFII page on mpeg licences: MPEG-related patents on compression of acoustic data
- mpeg-patents-faq ("especially for audio compression")
- Lucent loses $1.5b award in Lucent v. Gateway, Dell, & Microsoft
