Bug#203211: Software patents and Debian
On Wed, Aug 16, 2006 at 11:04:44AM +0200, Bas Wijnen wrote:
> Hello,
>
> When looking for some video-editing software, I found avidemux. According to
> the wnpp bug, there is a problem with license issues regarding the MPEG2/MPEG4
> codec. There is a software patent on this codec, and a paid license is needed
> in order to use it, appearantly.
>
> My question is how Debian handles software patents. I thought we didn't care
> about them except if they were actively enforced, because it's completely
> impossible to avoid all patented software, considering the junk that gets
> patented. If that is the case, would any of you know if the MPEG[24] codec
> patents are actively enforced? In other words, can this be in Debian?
>
> Thanks,
> Bas Wijnen
>
> Ps: Please keep me CCd, I'm not on the list.
Why not just removing the offending code and leaving avidemux only with support
for patent-free codecs like theora?
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Robert Millan
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