Okay, here is a recap of the patent status as I understand it:
MPEG-2 Patent encumbered. MPEG-LA claims quite a few patents
MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) Patent encumbered. AudioMPEG, Lucent and Thompson claim patents.
MPEG-1 Video. No unexpired patents known to this list, but might be patent encumbered.
MPEG-1 Audio Layers 1 and 2. No unexpired patents known to this list, but might be patent encumbered.
Because of patent worries, even MPEG-1 Video and MPEG-1 Audio Layers 1 and 2 decoders and encoders might not be able to be added to plugins-good even if the code would otherwise be acceptable.
Is that correct?
Josh Cogliati
--- On Sun, 8/24/08, David Schleef <ds@...> wrote:
> From: David Schleef <ds@...>
> Subject: Re: [gst-devel] Can a MPEG-1 with Audio Layers 1&2 plugin be in plugins-good (patentwise)?
> To: jjcogliati-gstreamer@..., "Discussion of the development of GStreamer" <gstreamer-devel@...>
> Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008, 10:29 AM
> On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 07:41:53AM -0700,
> jjcogliati-gstreamer@... wrote:
> > > Not now, because the relevant patents aren't
> expired.
> > > The point of
> > > -good isn't to pack as much stuff into it as
> possible
> > > -- it's for
> > > stuff that distributors don't have to think
> twice
> > > about. MPEG-1
> > > video is not at that point yet. If the
> explanation why
> > > something
> > > can go into -good takes more than about one
> sentence,
> > > it's probably
> > > not OK.
> >
> > Okay. What are some of the relevant patents that are
> unexpired?
> > In my internet search, I have not found a single place
> or person
> > that listed a single unexpired MPEG-1 Video patent.
> Of course, I
> > fully realize that there may be patents out there even
> if nobody
> > on this list can name any.
>
> That's not the point. I don't think there is any
> patent protection
> on MPEG-1 video decoding either. However, IMO, when people
> deploying
> gst-plugins-good hear "MPEG", they think
> "what about patents?". This
> is not the look we're going for with gst-plugins-good.
>
> > Okay, so let me check. If libTwoLAME, an LGPL library
> that encodes
> > MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 was wrapped, and assuming that it
> was of
> > sufficient quality then it could be included in
> gstreamer plugins-good?
>
> Yes. Feel free to improve the one in -bad.
>
> > Also, lets say that mpegaudioparse, which is currently
> in
> > plugins-ugly, had *all* the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3
> parsing removed,
> > and a new plugin called something like
> mpegaudiolayer_1_and_2parse
> > was created. Could this hypothetical
> mpegaudiolayer_1_and_2parse
> > be added to plugins-good?
>
> Unless I misunderstand something, mpegaudioparse could be
> moved to
> -good as is. However, I imagine that whomever made the
> decision in
> the past (check the archive) also used the "MPEG ->
> ugly" rule.
>
>
>
> dave...
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