May 31
Patent Issues With MP3
A friend of mine and I started a discussion about MP3 support in Windows versus Linux. I haven’t used Windows since I was forced out of my last employment position, so I have been a bit hazy on the minute details of Windows, but the last I recall, there was no solid support for MP3 in Windows at the time.
Well, my friend claimed that Microsoft added support a while back, and he was right. Some time ago, Microsoft started shipping support for the codec after it paid $16 million to the Frauenhofer Institute in what they believed was a license to redistribute. Alcatel-Lucent (then Bell Labs) co-developed the technology with Frauenhofer, and now they are claiming that Microsoft owes them $1.5 billion in back-licensing. The case is bouncing around the patent court system and might possibly leave many companies looking for a free alternative to the MP3 format.
I also heard complaints that it was in fact Linux (CentOS) that lacked support for the said format; I thought it was the other way around. Well, I was partly right. While Microsoft battles out the patent lawsuit with Lucent, the support for MP3 varies in the different Linux distributions. You find that some distributions, such as Gentoo, Ubuntu, Slackware, and Debian, offer support out of the box either through the libmad library or the Fluendo binary GStreamer plugin. Other distributions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (only through non-public officially licensed means) and OpenSUSE offer no support at all.
Worst case scenario, if this sits in the courts long enough, some of the patents will start expiring soon. In the mean time, non-commercial usage of the codec does not require as per the Thompson website. If a Linux distribution chooses not to distribute a codec, it’s because they intend on making an annual profit of more than $100,000. It’s safe to say that most distributions do not have this problem, but Red Hat does so you’ll have to switch to a non-RHEL based distribution (Fedora included).
This is all very shady ground, so while it is still possible to support MP3 in some (if not most) Linux distributions, who knows what legal ground the format currently stands on (Microsoft certainly doesn’t know). Some would argue that MAD might lose it’s ability to distribute under the GPL license if tested in court!
In the end, switch to a non-commercial distribution or use the Fluendo GStreamer binary plugin.
3 Comments so far
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One hopes the patent dispute will go the way of the Unisys gif patent dust up. With so many people and software applications using the mp3 format, it would be awfully hard to go around with hat in hand trying to collect from everyone.
I’m wondering if the newer, more advanced audio formats like AAC are subject to any restrictive patents? People seem to cling to mp3 though even when there are more advanced alternatives. I guess I understand since last time I tried to get AAC files (mp4) to play everywhere I wanted them to play I had an awfully rough time of it. People want things to “just work”.
I too wouldn’t be surprised if the patent dispute dissolves itself. The mp3 format is “a house hold name” and to try to collect royalties off of it would be a daunting task.
I’ve used OGG in the past and was very pleased with it. The problem with all the variety of formats is devices that play them. Which is why mp3s have been around for as long as they have. Ask a “grandma” what files they have to use on their ipod/music device and they’ll undoubtedly say mp3. Apple is pushing AAC and they’re doing a fairly decent job at it too. With the influx of ipods they have a better chance than say Microsoft and their zune.
Like Jeremy said, “people want things to ‘just work’.” At the same time, for it to ‘just work’, companies need to gather around 1 format. I.E mp3. It’s a loose-loose situation for the people that know what they’re doing and a win-win for everyone else because they don’t know any better.
My $0.02.
The GIF patent resolved itself because it expired back in 2003, so there’s a lot of time left before the last MP3 patent (2002) expires.
AAC is still protected by patents, developed by the thugs at Dolby Technologies. The difference is it’s less restrictive (allows content to be broadcast without needing a license). That format is still weighted down by software patents.
If Lucent wins and decides to start swinging these huge lawsuits at companies like Microsoft who have much to lose, then these companies may start looking for a format that is not completely encumbered by patents (Ogg).
Even my Samsung Yepp plays Ogg Vobis.