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Mozilla has been working with Google on this for some time now, but we haven't been able to talk about it in public until now.* Some of the developers from the

Mozilla has been working with Google on this for some time now, but we haven't been able to talk about it in public until now.* Some of the developers from the Theora project are also working with Mozilla and Google to implement and improve VP8. Firefox builds are available today: http://nightly.mozilla.org/webm/ http://nightly.mozilla.org/webm/ One of the most important parts here is that Google owns the patent rights to VP8, and is licensing them to the public under a royalty-free grant -- but the grant doesn't apply to anyone who files a patent suit against VP8, which means the patents are still useful for defensive purposes. * This is, of course, part of the outcome Mozilla hoped for from not supporting the non-free H.264 format.

mmastrac 16y ago
Watching this from the audience in Google I/O. This is exciting news - good stuff, mbrubeck.
orblivion 16y ago
Is there the theoretical possibility that Google could turn around and use the patent offensively? Rescind their grant? Or are we all now guaranteed safe to use it?
- mbrubeck 16y ago
  The license includes a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this section) patent license." - http://www.webmproject.org/license/software/ http://www.webmproject.org/license/software/ You'll have to ask a lawyer whether it's truly irrevocable, but clearly that's the intention.
  - smallblacksun 16y ago
    There is nothing a contract can say that a good enough lawyer can't get out of, but there is no reason to expect that Google would try in this case.
seanalltogether 16y ago
Do you feel like Mozilla and Opera will be betting heavily on VP8 instead of Theora for the next few years? Or will they take the position that both are equally as good and stay out of the fight?
- ugh 16y ago
  “The VP8 codec represents a vast improvement in quality-per-bit over Theora and is comparable in quality to H.264.” http://hacks.mozilla.org/2010/05/firefox-youtube-and-webm/ http://hacks.mozilla.org/2010/05/firefox-youtube-and-webm/ (Little editorial comment: There will be no fight, Theora is already dead. That was already pretty clear yesterday and there can be no more doubt about it today.)

mmastrac 16y ago

Watching this from the audience in Google I/O. This is exciting news - good stuff, mbrubeck.

orblivion 16y ago

Is there the theoretical possibility that Google could turn around and use the patent offensively? Rescind their grant? Or are we all now guaranteed safe to use it?

mbrubeck 16y ago
The license includes a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this section) patent license." - http://www.webmproject.org/license/software/ http://www.webmproject.org/license/software/ You'll have to ask a lawyer whether it's truly irrevocable, but clearly that's the intention.
- smallblacksun 16y ago
  There is nothing a contract can say that a good enough lawyer can't get out of, but there is no reason to expect that Google would try in this case.

seanalltogether 16y ago

Do you feel like Mozilla and Opera will be betting heavily on VP8 instead of Theora for the next few years? Or will they take the position that both are equally as good and stay out of the fight?

ugh 16y ago
“The VP8 codec represents a vast improvement in quality-per-bit over Theora and is comparable in quality to H.264.” http://hacks.mozilla.org/2010/05/firefox-youtube-and-webm/ http://hacks.mozilla.org/2010/05/firefox-youtube-and-webm/ (Little editorial comment: There will be no fight, Theora is already dead. That was already pretty clear yesterday and there can be no more doubt about it today.)