[MPlayer-cygwin] What to do about patents?

[Joey Parrish]

On Mon, Mar 14, 2005 at 01:57:18PM -0500, Joseph Miller wrote:
> Can anyone also provide me with which patents this project is in violation of 
> and how MPlayer may be brought into compliance?  Either by removing certain 
> features, rewriting how certain things are done, or some other method?  Is 
> the entire project really lost?

If you read the entire page, you'll see that it's not really shut down
yet.  Software patents are being voted on and could potentially cause
problems for MPlayer if/when enforced.  But the site is still there, and
so is the software.

We, as Americans, can't do a damn thing about EU patent issues because
we can't vote in the EU.  So calm down.

MPlayer is not dead, and will continue to live.  Even if the central
repository is forced down by legal action in the EU, there are plenty of
people with source code.  I'm sure a discussion will arise about
alternative solutions, and I'm sure the repository will come back.  If
Americans have learned anything from the RIAA, it's that electronic
information transfer will continue despite the best efforts of those
rich few with a vested interest in shutting it down.  Technology will
overcome a short-sighted law.  Some day, hopefully, law-makers will
realize that some laws (moral arguments aside) cannot be enforced.

So all you and I can do right now is offer our moral support and wait.
--Joey

-- 
"Are disorders necessarily bad?" --Ike