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

Tim Schmidt timschmidt at gmail.com
Thu Nov 13 21:42:42 CET 2008


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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