26 Aug
2006
26 Aug
'06
20:54
On Saturday 26 August 2006 22:47, Rikard Johnels wrote:
Back to topic; Clarification needed: Is the mp3 format a patent?
No, it is a file format. It is however covered by a patent, owned by Fraunhofer. As far as I know, you can give away decoders for free, but if they are part of something you sell commercially, Fraunhofer wants a piece of the action. Encoders - again, as far as I know - must always be licensed. The license costs for both are either based on number of copies sold, or a fairly steep one time fee
Wouldn't distributing an encoder be just as patent infringing as a decoder?
yes http://www.mp3licensing.com/ Have a look at "Royalty rates"