RESEND(Wrong Thread): IMAGE/MP3 licensing issue.

Wolfgang Spraul wolfgang at openmoko.com
Fri Nov 14 10:38:05 CET 2008


Tim,

> The only threat a patent troll understands is a well funded group of
> researchers and lawyers ready and willing to spend millions of dollars
> and years of effort to invalidate their prized patent.
>
> Fortunately, such things _do_ exist.  I suggest OpenMoko search for,
> and solicit help from any they may find.

Let me link back to one of my Weekly Engineering News (back when they  
were still weekly, ahem - I am working hard to get this good  
discipline back!)
http://lists.openmoko.org/nabble.html#nabble-td837114

We looked at several options, OIN, patent-commons, peertopatent.
In the end we decided to collaborate with the Software Freedom Law  
Center in New York. We believe this is most in line with the goals of  
the Openmoko project, and will have the best long-term results.
I cannot speak about details yet, the SFLC and Sean are working on  
this. I think next year, with regards to patents the results from that  
will be one of the more important developments for Openmoko and maybe  
even the larger Free Software scene.

Best Regards,
Wolfgang

On Nov 14, 2008, at 4:42 AM, Tim Schmidt wrote:

> On Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 3:25 PM, Chris Samuel <chris at csamuel.org>  
> wrote:
>> I'd still rather a format that didn't risk (as much as anyone
>> can know these days) such lawsuits in the first place..
>
> _All_ software risks such lawsuits.
>
> Software patents are so over-broad, vaguely worded, impenetrably
> incomprehensible to normal folk, and numerous that _no significant
> work is safe._
>
> _Of course_ we should prefer the Ogg formats - especially with
> companies like Sisvel running around - but to believe they are
> unassailable by patent trolls, or somehow more safe than other
> software is delusional.
>
> A well stocked portfolio of patents is no thread to a troll - they
> sell no products vulnerable to injunctions.
>
> The only threat a patent troll understands is a well funded group of
> researchers and lawyers ready and willing to spend millions of dollars
> and years of effort to invalidate their prized patent.
>
> Fortunately, such things _do_ exist.  I suggest OpenMoko search for,
> and solicit help from any they may find.
>
> --tim
>
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