Re: [whatwg] Video codec requirements changed

> The text you replaced the requirements with [1] includes the
> requirement that the codec:
>
> # is not an additional submarine patent risk for large companies
>
> Is this something that can be measured objectively, or is it a
> loophole that allows any sufficiently large company to veto the
> choice of codec for any reason it chooses, potentially including not
> wanting the <video> element to succeed in creating an open standard
> for video on the Web?

There is no objective measurement possible for that requirement, except the 
lone yes/no of something being unpatented and really old.  We can't make 
videos play on Web pages using forks, hammers and chairs.  And even under 
those circumstances, patent trolls do get stuff that shouldn't be patentable 
patented, so living in fear of patent trolls is absurd.

Wanna know what happened to the last troll that attacked free software?  Ask 
Darl McBride.  Everyone is under the possibility of constant attack from 
trolls.

But, anyway, we've already established that the fear of patents is just an 
excuse to take Ogg out.  Other sensible reasons remain to prefer other 
technologies, and the standard as it was written before did cater to those 
technologies as well.

>
> -David
>
> [1] In full, the text is:
> # It would be helpful for interoperability if all browsers could
> # support the same codecs. However, there are no known codecs that
> # satisfy all the current players: we need a codec that is known to
> # not require per-unit or per-distributor licensing, that is
> # compatible with the open source development model, that is of
> # sufficient quality as to be usable, and that is not an additional
> # submarine patent risk for large companies. This is an ongoing
> # issue and this section will be updated once more information is
> # available.
> from
> http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/section-video.h
>tml#video



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