[M4IF Discuss] To those concerned about MPEG- 4 Licensing ...

[Rob Koenen]

Dan,
Any patent pool should be non-exclusive. So you can negotiate
with individual companies, and you could even venture to set
up an alternaive pool to compete with the MPEG LA one (which
wold need the same essential patents). M4IF actually encourages 
this - competition is good, also here.
On the other hand, all participants in the MPEG standards process
with patents have agreed by written statement to ISO to reasonable 
and *Non-Discriminatory* licensing. So it's hard for licensors to
favor one party over the other.
Note, too, that in the case of MPEG LA pools, licensors always pay
the license as well. There are no inside deals to be cut. 
And regardless of all this, we need the license fast - even weeks 
is too long now.
Best,
Rob
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daniel B. Miller [mailto:dan   on2.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2024 10:47
> To: Rob Koenen
> Cc: 'William J. Fulco'; discuss   lists.m4if.org;
> discuss-admin   lists.m4if.org
> Subject: RE: [M4IF Discuss] To those concerned about MPEG- 4 Licensing
> ...
> 
> 
> > "Side deals" are a non-starter, because the license needs
> > to be non-discriminatory. (Unless everyone, big and small,
> > gets the same side deal...)
> >
> but isn't it true under MPEG-LA terms that you can negotiate 
> alternative
> deals directly with the patent-holders?  I believe several of 
> the MPEG-2
> licensors have done this with each other.  I suspect the same thing is
> happening with MP4, effectively giving them a jump on the competition.
> 
> -dbm
> 
>