[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH] faad2 version 2.5 support, second try

[Michael Niedermayer]

On Sun, Jan 13, 2008 at 06:39:57PM +0200, Ivan Kalvachev wrote:
> On Oct 12, 2007 11:52 AM, Ivan Kalvachev <ikalvachev at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 2007/10/12, Dominik 'Rathann' Mierzejewski <dominik at rangers.eu.org>:
> >
> > > On Friday, 12 October 2007 at 01:34, Jean-Baptiste Kempf wrote:
> > > > On Mon, Oct 08, 2007, Michael Niedermayer wrote :
> > > > > > >> With faad2 version 2.5 and current ffmpeg, if you use
> > > >
> > > > > faad2 is not GPL compatible
> > > > > any program (ffmpeg or otherwise) including faad2 can thus not be GPL
> > > > > compatible either
> > > >
> > > > Just to tell you know, if some people are interested, that FAAD 2.6 is
> > > > out, and from the news annoucement:
> > > >
> > > > "Other news is the little change in the copyright header and the readme
> > > > of FAAD2. Apparantly a lot of projects were troubled about the extra
> > > > requirement that the old header asked for. The FSF looked at this and
> > > > said that with some minor change the text can be seen as clarification
> > > > of section 2c of the GPLv2. I advise all projects using FAAD2 to update
> > > > to this new package (or CVS), I guess there's nothing to be worried
> > > > about anymore."
> > > >
> > > > However, looking at the headers, I don't see exactly in what this is
> > > > more GPL compatible than before, but a lot of people might know better
> > > > than I do.
> > >
> > > Hm indeed there's a small change in the clause:
> > > --- README.2.5  2007-10-12 00:30:28.000000000 +0200
> > > +++ README.2.6  2007-10-11 20:41:49.000000000 +0200
> > > @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
> > >  **
> > >  ** Software using this code must display the following message visibly in or
> > >  ** on each copy of the software:
> > > -** "FAAD2 AAC/HE-AAC/HE-AACv2/DRM decoder (c) Nero AG, www.nero.com"
> > > +** "Code from FAAD2 is copyright (c) Nero AG, www.nero.com"
> > >  ** in, for example, the about-box or help/startup screen.
> > >  **
> > >  ** Commercial non-GPL licensing of this software is possible.
> >
> > That's improvement.
> > However there is still something that troubles me.
> > The GPL clauses talks with if's. IF your programs runs interactively ,
> > exception IF it doesn't normaly print such announcemnts.
> > However the Nero "clarification" is much more imperative, it "MUST".
> >
> > I wouldn't jump on that horse yet. I'd like to hear from FSF that
> > everything is ok first.
> 
> Two months ago I heard that the text is changed and today I did
> download libfaad 2.6.1 and checked it myselfs. (CVS says the change is
> done at revision 1.10, Thu Nov 1 12:33:29 2007 UTC )
> The text now says:
> 
> ** The "appropriate copyright message" mentioned in section 2c of the GPLv2
> ** must read: "Code from FAAD2 is copyright (c) Nero AG, www.nero.com"
> 
> I think this text looks quite GPL complaint. At least I can't find
> reason why it wouldn't be.
> 
> I was wondering if we can now reconsider the original patch from this thread.

Is there some statement from the FSF about this? If no id say we should wait.
The statement above defines what appropriate is which is an additional
restriction if the legal meaning of appropriate is "wider" than this.

Also an appropriate copyright statement for ffmpeg is certainly not
"Code from FAAD2 is copyright (c) Nero AG, www.nero.com", that might be
part of it but its not alone on its own appropriate

And the whole sounds a lot like the original BSD license together with
its problems.


> 
> I also happen to know that the person who is currently working of
> ffaac is well motivated and wont abandon it, because of this patch.

Let me ask, what do we gain from the patch? A native AAC decoder might be
around the corner ...

[...]
-- 
Michael     GnuPG fingerprint: 9FF2128B147EF6730BADF133611EC787040B0FAB

If a bugfix only changes things apparently unrelated to the bug with no
further explanation, that is a good sign that the bugfix is wrong.
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