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The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture
jrepin writes in to recommend a piece by Eugenia from OSNews, which explores the depths of the MPEG-LA's lock on video. One part of the problem is that almost all video cameras, including ones that cost more than $12,000, declare in their manuals that they are for "personal use and non-commercial" purposes only. "We've all heard how the h.264 is rolled over on patents and royalties. Even with these facts, I kept supporting the best-performing 'delivery' codec in the market, which is h.264. 'Let the best win,' I kept thinking. But it wasn't until very recently when I was made aware that the problem is way deeper. No, my friends. It's not just a matter of just 'picking Theora' to export a video to Youtube and be clear of any litigation. MPEG-LA's trick runs way deeper!""
"declare in their manuals that they are for "personal use and non-commercial" purposes only." You don't always do everything that the manual tells you to, do you? I'm pretty sure that thousands of people a day use these cameras for commercial purposes without any problem (I know we use them at work). And I'm also pretty sure the MPEG-LA doesn't want to see the issue end up in court, because they'd probably lose.
Fine solution. Ignore the patents-copyrights. Go Pirate Party!
Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
Rediculous.
I imagine most use The Pirate Bay.
-- Lattyware (www.lattyware.co.uk)
Maybe you can pirate a dictionary and learn to spell "ridiculous"?
It's an ironic-spelling, you moran.
Before I started using my camera, I crossed that section out and initialed indicating that I don't agree to that term. I sent the document back to their legal department, and I'm still waiting for them to agree to the changes.
In the mean time, since I haven't heard from them, I'm going to proceed with using the camera.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
It's probably best to leave the Morans out of this.
MPEG-LA better not mess with the BBC. They've got the Doctor on their side!
Defending an infringment lawsuit would be very expensive. On the other hand, rifle ammunition is quite cheap.
How many people are on the MPEG-LA board?
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OK, I'll throw in my lame attempt at a car analogy.
It's the equivalent of a tire manufacturer with a patent or two on how their tires are made (presumably some chemical process/formula that makes it differ in some minor way from others), charged royalties to the car company for using the tires with their cars, the gas company for every mile driven using their gas to turn the tires AND the consumer for every rotation of said tires. And if some poor kid decides to tie one of those tires up to a tree and swing on it? Ho-ho-ho, christmas come early, cause that kid is gonna spend the rest of his natural born life with garnished wages for his unlicensed misuse of their technology.
Laugh now, but I'm about to go take down my tire swing.
Something over the hyper text transfer protocol would be best. If you could provide a uniform resource locator to it, that would be grand.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.