[M4IF Technotes] Location of reference software

[Rob Koenen]

> Their copyright notice sounds very much like a type of LGPL licence - an
> open source licence. So really, if I have understood  correctly, anyone,
> whether or not they are a member of M4IF or other, ought to be able to get
> free access to the latest version.

What was also on that site is the text of the standard (outdated
btw). It doens't come with such a copyright notice.
The difference is not whether you are an M4IF member or not. M4IF
members have definite benefits, but access to ISO copyrighted material
is not among them.
Note that there is a crucial difference between this copyright statement
and a GPL license. You can take the MPEG-4 Ref Soft, turn it upside down,
change it inside out, add al sorts of fancy stuff, etc., WITHOUT ANY
FURTHER OBLIGATION - as long as it is used for implementing 
MPEG-4 compliant products. The requirements of a GPL are very
different.
Best,
Rob