[FFmpeg-devel] GPL version matter

[Reimar Doeffinger]

Hello,
On Sun, Jul 01, 2007 at 06:17:25PM +0100, M?ns Rullg?rd wrote:
> Uoti Urpala <uoti.urpala at pp1.inet.fi> writes:
> > The GPL is not meant to exclude programs covered by patents.
> 
> The text of the GPL seems to suggest otherwise.
> 
> Then again, I am not a lawyer, but neither are you.

I really can't see how you come to that conclusion. There are some
difficulties if you licensed some patents relevant to GPL3'd code, but
they do not seem relevant to ffmpeg since for the one clause we I think
fulfill the exception clause of the code being publically available and
the other one speaks only about "third party that is in the business of
distributing software" which I think e.g. the MPEG-LA is not even
remotely.
Actually my interpretation would be that (L)GPL v3 even explicitly
would allow Fluendo to sell ffmpeg with a patent license while v2.1
seems mroe murky there.
But I am of course not a lawyer and my head still spins from just the
little part of teh GPLv3 I tried to read...

Greetings,
Reimar Doeffinger