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Difference between revisions of "Audio-video patents"

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* [[Example software patents]]
 
* [[Example software patents]]
 
* [[Real Media]] - audio and video formats with patent problems<ref>http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems#Real_Media_Player</ref>
 
* [[Real Media]] - audio and video formats with patent problems<ref>http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems#Real_Media_Player</ref>
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* [[Ogg Theora]]
 
* [[List of recordings and transcripts]]
 
* [[List of recordings and transcripts]]
 
* [[Why consumer organisations should be involved]]
 
* [[Why consumer organisations should be involved]]

Revision as of 22:16, 26 March 2010

Audio-video is a domain of computer science plagued by thickets of software patents.

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

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 ESP Wiki

External links

Difficulty of developing players

Mp3 audio problems

References