Re: [rtcweb] Cisco to open source its H.264 implementation and absorb MPEG-LA licensing fees

On Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 7:08 AM, Jonathan Rosenberg <jdrosen@jdrosen.net>wrote:

> One of the reasons we're open sourcing it is so that interested parties
> could build the module for other platforms. So, yes. If the platform allows
> for fetch+install the community can build for that and Cisco will not pass
> on any MPEG-LA licensing costs for applications on that platform.
>

You keep using the phrase "Cisco will not pass on any MPEG-LA licensing
costs for applications" in a careful way, which I'm sure you have to for
legal reasons, but it does leave some of us wondering what it really means.

As a specific example, what about a Linux distribution?   I think it's
clear that  Debian, for example, cannot make this source code part of their
distribution because of the patent implications.  Are you suggesting that a
linux distribution could take the Cisco source code, compile their own
binary module, and host it on Cisco servers as a way to distribute h264
functionality that avoids the need to pay the MPEG-LA?  You seem to be
implying that, but not outright saying it.

I believe neither WinRT nor Winphone 7/8 allow for apps to fetch/install so
> that the fetch+install model won't work there.
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 9:43 AM, Leon Geyser <lgeyser@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Great news.
>>
>> I see this in the Q/A:
>> *Q. iOS is noticeably absent from the list of platforms. Why is that?*
>> A: Unfortunately, iOS does not allow for applications to fetch and
>> install modules from the Internet once that application has been installed
>> on the device. Consequently, it is simply not feasible for us to provide a
>> distribution at this time.
>> --
>> Does the same apply to other platforms like Windows Phone 7/8, Windows RT?
>> Also if we want to use the module on a different platform not listed by
>> you and that allow fetch+install can we ask for the module to be compiled?
>>
>>
>> On 30 October 2013 15:20, Karl Stahl <karl.stahl@intertex.se> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for this surprise! ****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Hope that it will result in that we can keep codecs in the endpoints and
>>> can avoid video transcoding in gateways.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> /Karl****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> *Från:* rtcweb-bounces@ietf.org [mailto:rtcweb-bounces@ietf.org] *För *Jonathan
>>> Rosenberg (jdrosen)
>>>
>>> *Skickat:* den 30 oktober 2013 13:29
>>> *Till:* rtcweb@ietf.org
>>> *Ämne:* [rtcweb] Cisco to open source its H.264 implementation and
>>> absorb MPEG-LA licensing fees****
>>>
>>>  ** **
>>>
>>> I’d like to make an announcement material to the conversations around
>>> MTI video codecs in rtcweb.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Cisco is announcing today that we will take our H.264 implementation,
>>> and open source it under BSD license terms. Development and maintenance
>>> will be overseen by a board from industry and the open source community.
>>> Furthermore, we will provide a binary form suitable for inclusion in
>>> applications across a number of different operating systems (Windows,
>>> MacOS, Linux x86, Linux ARM and Android ARM), and make this binary module
>>> available for download from the Internet. We will not pass on our MPEG-LA
>>> licensing costs for this module, and based on the current licensing
>>> environment, this will effectively make H.264 free for use on supported
>>> platforms. ****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> We believe that this contribution to the community can help address the
>>> concerns many have raised around selection of H.264 as MTI. I firmly
>>> believe that with H.264 we can achieve maximal interoperability and now, do
>>> it with open source and for free (well, at least for others – its not free
>>> for Cisco J)****
>>>
>>> More information on the open source project can be found at
>>> http://www.openh264.org, which is sparse now but more coming soon.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Thx,****
>>>
>>> Jonathan R.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> --****
>>>
>>> Jonathan Rosenberg, PhD****
>>>
>>> VP, CTO Collaboration****
>>>
>>> Cisco Systems****
>>>
>>> jdrosen@cisco.com****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> rtcweb mailing list
>>> rtcweb@ietf.org
>>> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/rtcweb
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> rtcweb mailing list
>> rtcweb@ietf.org
>> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/rtcweb
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Jonathan Rosenberg, Ph.D.
> jdrosen@jdrosen.net
> http://www.jdrosen.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> rtcweb mailing list
> rtcweb@ietf.org
> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/rtcweb
>
>