h264, MPEG LA and patents.
Recently, Cisco released a software component for H264 video support under the BSD license. This would normally be considered Free Software, except for the fact that this standard is considered to be patented (where software patents apply). They are covering the MPEG LA licensing fees, but only for pre-built binaries, not for the corresponding source. I will discuss this issue, and why the resulting software is not only non-free, but does not solve any issues for distributors with a focus on Freedom (such as Fedora).
Speakers: Tom Callaway