This is taken from request 905123
(https://build.opensuse.org/request/show/905123) to add libfreeaptx to openSUSE
multimedia:libs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A free implementation of aptX is missing from openSUSE. This can be installed
through Packman as described in
(https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Installing_codecs_from_Packman_repositories) to,
for example, install pipewire with support for aptX over bluetooth with
libopenaptx 0.2.0. However, I'd like to add aptX to openSUSE if possible. This
will require evaluation from SUSE's legal team (I am not a lawyer!).
Additionally, I am new to this sort of thing so forgive any ignorance or lack
of proper procedure.

libfreeaptx has been forked form libopenaptx 0.2.0 which itself was based on
ffmpeg 4.0. libopenaptx was updated to 0.2.1 to change its license from
LGPL2.1+ to GPL3+ with an additional restriction: it may not be used by members
of Freedesktop or Collabora, as well as preventing linking with any of their
software. This makes libopenaptx >=0.2.1 practically useless as it prevents
usage with pipewire going forward. This is due to a past conflict with
libopenaptx's developer which can be found at
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pulseaudio/pulseaudio/-/merge_requests/227

Freedesktop made a statement about this here:
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/merge_requests/664

Here are some relevant sections from that statement.
"...
The original work came from ffmpeg under the LGPL v2.1, to which third
parties may not add additional restrictions (per sections 2 and 7 of the
LGPL v2.1), so LGPLv2.1 + may-not-use restrictions are not permissible
without the explicit consent of the original copyright holder.
The upgrade to LGPL v3.0 without explicit consent from the original
copyright holder is in itself permissible through the upgrade terms of
the LGPL, however the additional restrictions imposed again conflict
with sections 7 and 10 of the GPLv3 (as the base of the LGPLv3, with
those sections not being invalidated by the additional LGPLv3 text).
...
Regardless of the declared license having no legal validity, the LGPL's
explicit provision in both v2.1 and v3.0 for such additional
restrictions to be stripped, and the low likelihood of it ever being
used together with PipeWire as its licensing terms would not be
acceptable to any distribution, enforcing a version check seems like the
safest way to ensure complete legal clarity, not put users or
downstreams in any jeopardy, and comply with the author's stated wishes
for v0.2.1 and above to not be used by PipeWire."

If this is true, then potentially libopenaptx >= 0.2.1 may be used instead of
libfreeaptx (though I do want to upset libopenaptx's developer regardless of
legality). Debian is shipping libopenaptx 0.2.0 (pre-license change) in
testing/bullseye.

Aside from reaching a conclusion on proper licensure there is also a matter
regarding patents that must be reviewed. aptX and aptX HD (supported by
libfreeaptx and libopenaptx) were previously covered under patents EP0398973B1
(https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/010631689/publication/EP0398973B1?q=pn%3DEP0398973B1)
and US9398620B1
(https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/056381853/publication/US9398620B1?q=pn%3DUS9398620B1)
respectively. I believe these patents have been a roadblock for getting aptX
including with openSUSE in the past. However, the patents are now expired.
Again, I am not a lawyer. SUSE's legal team needs to evaluate this.

I realize this may be an endeavor for adding just this one package, but I
believe improving openSUSE's out-of-the-box experience with bluetooth audio
devices will add value to openSUSE for users with audio oriented use cases
(such as myself).