[M4IF Discuss] Use Fees (Was FW: MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins)

Rob Koenen (M4IF) rob.koenen m4if.org
Tue Jun 17 01:26:52 EDT 2003


While the notion of 
"
 normal playing time of the Stored Data disc or Stored Data 
 electronic transmission as it is intended to be viewed or 
 used by an End User
"
may make sense for "classical" (linear) video, for much of what
can be created with more advanced MPEG-4 tools that concept is
probably meaningless. 
Best,
Rob
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mikael Bourges-Sevenier [mailto:mikael   sevenier.com] 
> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2023 15:56
> To: 'Larry Horn'; rob.koenen   m4if.org; 'Holger Grahn - 
> Bitmanagement'; 'M4IF Discussion List'
> Cc: 'Dean Skandalis'
> Subject: RE: [M4IF Discuss] Use Fees (Was FW: MPEG-4 Audio 
> Licensing begins)
> 
> 
> Dear Larry,
> 
> It is very helpful but I think the nature of synthetic 
> contents makes the
> notion of "normal playing time" very vague. This notion of 
> "normal playing
> time" works well for contents that are streamed to the 
> terminal because, in
> this case, it is like a video.
> 
> Let's take the example of a video with a spinning logo of a 
> company in a
> corner. I would understand the "normal playing time" as the 
> time to play the
> video. Would this also count for the same amount of time for 
> the spinning
> logo? Or maybe it would be the time to make a loop?
> 
> As the video can also play repeatedly, a synthetic animation 
> can too, and
> therefore the time to make a loop could be the "normal 
> playing time" of the
> synthetic content.
> 
> While a video has only one timeline, in a synthetic content, you have
> multiple timeline maybe running in parallel, sequential, user 
> or network
> activated. In this case, what is the "normal playing time"? 
> 
> Thanks for your clarifications,
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Mike
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Larry Horn [mailto:LHorn   mpegla.com] 
> > Sent: Monday, June 16, 2023 3:33 PM
> > To: rob.koenen   m4if.org; Mikael Bourges-Sevenier; Holger 
> > Grahn - Bitmanagement; M4IF Discussion List
> > Cc: Dean Skandalis
> > Subject: RE: [M4IF Discuss] Use Fees (Was FW: MPEG-4 Audio 
> > Licensing begins)
> > 
> > 
> > Hello, Mikael, Holger and Rob,
> > 
> > Under the MPEG-4 Systems License the royalties for the right 
> > to make, sell and use MPEG-4 Systems data decoders and MPEG-4 
> > Systems data encoders are included (with one exception) in 
> > the royalties paid by the product manufacturers ($0.15 per 
> > decoder subject to a $100,000 annual cap per legal entity and 
> > $0.25 per encoder subject to a $100,000 annual cap per legal 
> > entity).  The exception is for the MPEG-4 Systems Stored Data 
> > Encoder which refers specifically to the composition of 
> > MPEG-4 Systems Data which is paid for on a title by title 
> > basis and which is either (i) stored, replicated or recorded 
> > onto one or more physical media or (ii)  Transmitted to an 
> > End User in a form which allows the End User, either by 
> > affirmative act of the Licensee or otherwise to view, hear or 
> > use such data (a) at least 20 times and (b) for a period of 
> > at least 365 Days from the date of Transmission.  In that 
> > case, the royalties to make, sell and use (Sections 2.10 and 
> > 3.1.10 of the License) (a) fall upon the Transmitter of 
> > MPEG-4 Stored Data and/or encoder and/or replicator of MPEG-4 
> > Stored Data onto packaged media and (b) are based upon the 
> > normal playing time of the Stored Data disc or Stored Data 
> > electronic transmission as it is intended to be viewed or 
> > used by an End User.  Therefore, in the limited case where an 
> > MPEG-4 Systems Stored Data Encoder is used to create a loop 
> > of the kind you mention, the royalty under the MPEG-4 Systems 
> > License would be based upon the normal playing time of the 
> > Stored Data disc or Stored Data electronic transmission.
> > 
> > I hope this is helpful.
> > 
> > Best regards,
> > Larry Horn
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Rob Koenen (M4IF) [mailto:rob.koenen   m4if.org]
> > Sent: Monday, June 16, 2023 2:28 PM
> > To: 'Mikael Bourges-Sevenier'; 'Holger Grahn - 
> > Bitmanagement'; 'M4IF Discussion List'
> > Subject: [M4IF Discuss] Use Fees (Was FW: MPEG-4 Audio 
> > Licensing begins)
> > 
> > 
> > Those are good questions indeed. Note that the use fee is 
> > *much* more limited in the case of Systems than in the case 
> > of Visual, and in many cases it doesn't apply - such as your 
> > downloading example (I *believe* - MPEG LA to confirm or refute)
> > 
> > Interestingly MPEG-4 Systems can be used to loop an MPEG-4 
> > Visual clip - and the same question *is* pertinent. 
> > 
> > I have asked similar questions in the past, such as what with 
> > two videos that are meant to run in parallel in two windows, 
> > but can also run sequentially. 
> > 
> > Holger's question seems to contain a misunderstanding on the 
> > use fee, namely that it applies to encoding. As I understand 
> > the license, this is not the case. Rather, the use fee 
> > applies to the content being transmitted, served, packaged, 
> > etc. Again, MPEG LA to confirm or correct.
> > 
> > Rob
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mikael Bourges-Sevenier [mailto:mikael   sevenier.com] 
> > Sent: Monday, June 16, 2023 11:19
> > To: rob.koenen   m4if.org; 'Holger Grahn - Bitmanagement'; 
> > 'M4IF Discussion List'
> > Subject: RE: [M4IF Discuss] FW: MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins
> > 
> > 
> > Rob,
> > 
> > even if we can't answer for the licensing fees, Holger asks 
> > an important question (that was asked since early last year) 
> > regarding Systems licensing. 
> > 
> > From my understanding, Systems licensing follows Video 
> > licensing but the usage fee doesn't make any sense. For 
> > example, you can produce a few bytes long scene that can run 
> > indefinitely (animation loop). Downloading this would take a 
> > fraction of a second so what do pay for under the "usage 
> > fee"? What does "usage" means in this case? 
> > 
> > Maybe an MPEG LA reprentative can explain us?
> > 
> > Kind regards,
> > 
> > Mike 
> >  -----Original Message-----
> > From: discuss-admin   lists.m4if.org 
> > [mailto:discuss-admin   lists.m4if.org] On Behalf Of Rob Koenen (M4IF)
> > Sent: Monday, June 16, 2023 10:10 AM
> > To: 'Holger Grahn - Bitmanagement'; M4IF Discussion List
> > Subject: RE: [M4IF Discuss] FW: MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins
> > 
> > 
> > Holger,
> > 
> > I wouldn't know; who pays licensing fees is none of my business. 
> > 
> > Some licenses have a threshold that may apply. Some 
> > information is on licensors' websites. 
> > 
> > You should ask the people that make software available if you 
> > really want to know. 
> > 
> > Kind Regards,
> > Rob
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Holger Grahn - Bitmanagement 
> > [mailto:holger.grahn   bitmanagement.de] 
> > Sent: Friday, June 13, 2023 14:02
> > To: rob.koenen   m4if.org; M4IF Discussion List
> > Cc: M4IF news
> > Subject: Re: [M4IF Discuss] FW: MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Hi Rob,
> > 
> > just curious,
> > are all these companies/institutions/projects/individuals 
> > offering public download MPEG-4 stuff paying MPEG-LA /System 
> > /Audio/Video fees ?
> > 
> > Or are these downloads are somehow illegal offerings, or will 
> > these free downloads stop at the end of the year because of 
> > the initial grace periods and they all get sued ? What is for 
> > example with Divx Networks, MPEG4IP - mp4creator, IBM's 
> > Authoring tools ? and btw how to measure royalties for 
> > encoders, especially Systems encoders producing scene graph 
> > files which can run an endless animations ?
> > 
> > Greetings
> > 
> > Holger
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: Rob Koenen (M4IF) 
> > To: M4IF Discussion List 
> > Cc: M4IF news 
> > Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2023 7:56 PM
> > Subject: [M4IF Discuss] FW: MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins
> > 
> > 
> > I tired to send this message to the news list twice 
> > yesterday, but there are some problems with that list. 
> > Hopefully thisd does work. 
> > Rob 
> >  -----Original Message----- 
> > From:   Rob Koenen (M4IF) [mailto:rob.koenen   m4if.org] 
> > Sent:   Friday, June 06, 2023 11:16 
> > To:     'M4IF news' 
> > Subject:        MPEG-4 Audio Licensing begins 
> > M4IF News Readers, 
> > The news that MPEG-4 Audio licensing has begun was just 
> > released on the news wire. 
> > I think this is great news for MPEG-4 Audio, which includes 
> > MPEG-4 AAC. I hope - and expect - that this will enable 
> > deployment of many interoperable services and devices with 
> > great audio quality. 
> > Kind Regards, 
> > Rob Koenen 
> > President, M4IF 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 



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