3 ms·

Google: Please Don’t Kill Video on the Web

12 points by farslan 15y ago

dchest 15y ago
Summary: For a $1,000 laptop, Motorola is demanding that Microsoft pay a royalty of $22.50 for its 50 patents on the video standard, called H.264. Interesting turn of events! So, everyone supporting patent-free codecs was saying that H.264 is dangerous. H.264 defenders were saying -- "no, you're okay -- we have reasonable licensing terms". Now, Google purchases the codec, gives a free patent grant, and then makes sure H.264 is what it is -- a patent-encumbered standard -- by requesting the allegedly unreasonable license terms, to push a patent-free codec. Now imagine that Google will [ab]use this whole licensing thing to push for other H.264 patent holders to give a free patent grand similar to WebM.
- diminish 15y ago
  google was forced to a war by the "patents will kill android" headline one year ago in not only in android but on multiple fronts such as chrome/os, linux, video too.. and 2012 will be bloody. i hope software and related patents get tamed in the coming years.
- yardie 15y ago
  Now, Google purchases the codec, gives a free patent grant, and then makes sure H.264 is what it is -- a patent-encumbered standard -- by requesting the allegedly unreasonable license terms, to push a patent-free codec. I think you are confusing the WebM patents, which are patent free, with the Motorola patents, which are certainly not. Also, no one says that h264 wasn't patent encumbered. That's what the MPEG-LA was for, they handle the licensing which cost all of 20 cents. If I'm reading this correct, Motorola had licensed their patents under FRAND terms as part of MPEG-LA. Now they are trying to extract more money from the terms which probably violates all sorts of FRAND agreements. 2012 will be an expensive year. Good for the lawyers though.
danmaz74 15y ago
Uhm... maybe if Microsoft stopped exacting its software patents taxes from Android manufacturers, this pledge would be more valuable.
- jsight 15y ago
  Exactly... news reports claim that MS wants ~12/$500 Android phone. Based upon that, I think Motorola's claims are no more unreasonable.
yardie 15y ago
Wait, how are the patents that motorola have not licensed under MPEG-LA and FRAND agreements? So the new Google is "we don't do evil. We acquire other companies to do the dirty work for us."

12 points by farslan 15y ago

Summary: For a $1,000 laptop, Motorola is demanding that Microsoft pay a royalty of $22.50 for its 50 patents on the video standard, called H.264. Interesting turn of events! So, everyone supporting patent-free codecs was saying that H.264 is dangerous. H.264 defenders were saying -- "no, you're okay -- we have reasonable licensing terms". Now, Google purchases the codec, gives a free patent grant, and then makes sure H.264 is what it is -- a patent-encumbered standard -- by requesting the allegedly unreasonable license terms, to push a patent-free codec. Now imagine that Google will [ab]use this whole licensing thing to push for other H.264 patent holders to give a free patent grand similar to WebM.

diminish 15y ago
google was forced to a war by the "patents will kill android" headline one year ago in not only in android but on multiple fronts such as chrome/os, linux, video too.. and 2012 will be bloody. i hope software and related patents get tamed in the coming years.
yardie 15y ago
Now, Google purchases the codec, gives a free patent grant, and then makes sure H.264 is what it is -- a patent-encumbered standard -- by requesting the allegedly unreasonable license terms, to push a patent-free codec. I think you are confusing the WebM patents, which are patent free, with the Motorola patents, which are certainly not. Also, no one says that h264 wasn't patent encumbered. That's what the MPEG-LA was for, they handle the licensing which cost all of 20 cents. If I'm reading this correct, Motorola had licensed their patents under FRAND terms as part of MPEG-LA. Now they are trying to extract more money from the terms which probably violates all sorts of FRAND agreements. 2012 will be an expensive year. Good for the lawyers though.

danmaz74 15y ago

Uhm... maybe if Microsoft stopped exacting its software patents taxes from Android manufacturers, this pledge would be more valuable.

jsight 15y ago
Exactly... news reports claim that MS wants ~12/$500 Android phone. Based upon that, I think Motorola's claims are no more unreasonable.

yardie 15y ago

Wait, how are the patents that motorola have not licensed under MPEG-LA and FRAND agreements? So the new Google is "we don't do evil. We acquire other companies to do the dirty work for us."