Google Addresses Concerns over WebM License
Open source codec license gets tweaked in lieu of community concerns.
Google's recently open-sourced WebM video codec was greeted with concerns from the open source community after its announcement last month at Google I/O, namely because the license used for the project hadn't been submitted to the Open Source Initiative for approval. Additionally, the license included a field of use restriction in the patent grant.
Under Google's license, if patent action was brought against the company, all rights, not just patent rights were terminated. This provision made the license incompatible with GPLv3 and GPLv2.
Google has responded to concerns by moving the project into a BSD license. Google split the copyright license and patent grant into separate documents, in the process removing incompatibilities with the GPLv2 and GPLv3 licenses, allowing for the codec's ready implementation into the GNU and GNU/Linux environments.
Via the WebM Blog:
"Using patent language borrowed from both the Apache and GPLv3 patent clauses, in this new iteration of the patent clause we've decoupled patents from copyright, thus preserving the pure BSD nature of the copyright license. This means we are no longer creating a new open source copyright license, and the patent grant can exist on its own. Additionally, we have updated the patent grant language to make it clearer that the grant includes the right to modify the code and give it to others."
Concern over the codec's potential, lawsuit-worthy similarities with MPEG-LA's h.264 codec still loom heavy for some developers, though no legal action has been taken at this time.
Issue 41: Linux Shell Handbook 2021 Edition/Special Editions
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Apple M1 Hardware Support to be Merged into Linux Kernel 5.13
Linux users will be able to install their favorite distribution on Appleās M1-based hardware.
-
KDE Launches the Qt 5 Patch Collection
To support and maintain a stable Qt 5 for KDE Gears and Frameworks, KDE will maintain a patch collection.
-
Linux Creator Warns Next Kernel Could be Delayed
Linus Torvalds has issued concern about the size of kernel 5.12 and possible delays for its release.
-
System76 Updates its Pangolin Laptop
System76 has released a much-anticipated AMD version of their most popular laptop, the Pangolin.
-
New Debian-Based Distribution Arrives on the Market
TelOS is a new Debian-based Linux distribution with a customized, touch-screen-ready KDE Plasma 5 desktop.
-
System76 Releases New Thelio Desktop
One of the most ardent supporters of open source hardware has released a new desktop machine for home or office.
-
Mageia 8 Now Available with Linux 5.10 LTS
The latest release of Mageia includes improved graphics support for both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
GNOME 40 Beta has been Released
Anyone looking to test the beta for the upcoming GNOME 40 release can now do so.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 4.2 has Arrived
The latest stable version of OpenMandriva has been released and offers the newest KDE desktop and ARM support.
-
Thunderbird 78 Ported to Ubuntu 20.04
The Ubuntu developers have made the decision to port the latest release of Thunderbird to the LTS version of the platform.