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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Have the patents for H.264 MPEG-4 AVC expired yet? (meta.wikimedia.org)

submitted 4 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

If I'm interpreting this correctly, many MP4 patents are going to expire next year. 🎉

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[–] woelkchen 43 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Someone will most likely patent hack it in order to reclaim it, then try to patent troll about it… Because corporate people are jerks.

How? If the tech is older than 25 years, it's prior art no matter what. MP3 is fully free for the same reasons.

[–] DarkCloud 24 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (3 children)

Happened recently with a 1995 patent by a Stratasys, on a stronger technique for 3D printing using a brick infill method.

Someone re-parented a variation to prevent it being public domain until 2040.

[–] woelkchen 17 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Someone re-parented a variation to prevent it being public domain until 2040.

So the variation cannot be used. That's irrelevant for a file format. Some company could, for example, patent a more efficient encoding technique but the resulting file format is still public domain. So at worst an open source encoder would need to be slightly inefficient because it uses the traditional technique.

[–] DarkCloud 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Okay, pay X amount of dollars to go say that in a few court cases, and hope you get a judge that understands.

That's why it's called Patent Trolling because it's not official or legitimate.

[–] woelkchen 1 points 4 weeks ago

Didn't happen with MP3.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 weeks ago

Sort of. That was more of an oversight from a half assed patent filing based on a little known 3d printing process that shouldn't have been approved and is still up for challenge. That isn't likely to happen with H.264. I'd go as far to say that it couldn't happen with it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

This is why we can't have nice things...