<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On 11 Jan 2016, at 12:47, Carl Eugen Hoyos <<a href="mailto:cehoyos@ag.or.at" class="">cehoyos@ag.or.at</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="">Info || Non-Lethal Applications <info@...> writes:<br class=""><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class="">I have a question about the DNxHD/VC-3 decoder included <br class="">in libavcodec. I’d like to use it in a commercial product <br class="">and I’m not sure if this is allowed.<br class=""></blockquote><br class="">What makes you think that we distribute software that we <br class="">don't want you to use?<br class=""></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div><div>My point is not that I’m not allowed to use it at all but the part COMMERCIAL.</div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class="">It was my understanding that the VC-3 codec is open <br class="">source so I thought I could use it.<br class=""></blockquote><br class="">libavcodec is open source software distributed under the <br class="">terms of the LGPL: Usage is not limited (except for "no <br class="">warranty") but distribution is only allowed under the <br class="">terms of the LGPL.</div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div>I read this: <a href="https://lab.apertus.org/T91" class="">https://lab.apertus.org/T91</a> which is reportedly an AVID original email.</div><div>An excerpt:</div><div><br class=""></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">"A patent license is required for use of VC-3 as it falls under the DNxHD patents. The patent license grants you the right to use and even distribute the technology but, in no way can you reference the technology in the product as Avid, Avid DNxHD, DNX, etc. when it is from an open source. The use of VC-3 falls under the same schedule of royalty reporting under the patent license. In order to market your product as DNxHD from VC-3, Avid would need to test the product and a $10,000 fee for testing would be applied.</span><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">”</font></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">Can you or anyone else tell me how this “patent license” is handled with FFmpeg and LGPL?</font></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Also, this doesn’t differentiate between encoder/decoder as well as open source or commercial.</span></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">This led me to think that all use of VC-3 might possibly be restricted.</span></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></span></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">It also specifically names FFmpeg:</span></font></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">"Any ffmpeg implementation is considered a subset of Avid DNxHD and would be subject to testing verification in addition to the royalties.</span><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">”</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">What ‘royalties’ are they talking about?</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">Any insight is much appreciated!</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">Best,</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2" class="">Flo</font></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></span></div></body></html>