[theora] My query to MPEG-LA

[Basil Mohamed Gohar]

I have sent the following message to MPEG-LA's licensing e-mail address
(Licensing-web at mpegla.com) found here:
http://www.mpegla.com/main/Pages/Contact.aspx
> I would like to inquire about the following case of usage that I think
> is quite common nowadays, and what licensing fees might be applicable
> to such usage.
>
> I purchase a product, such as a Canon digital camera, that has a video
> recording feature which produces H.264-compliant video in an MP4 video
> container format.  Note that said products generally have a clause in
> their manual explaining that usage of H.264 with said device is
> explicitly for personal, non-commercial usage.
>
> I then take this video file and transcode it into another video
> format, say, Ogg Theora or WebM, or something else that does not have
> a licensing fee related to its usage.
>
> I then would like to release said work under a Creative Commons
> Attribute Share-Alike 3.0 US license.  Note that such a license *does*
> allow commercial usages.  You can ignore the specific license, the
> point is, said transcoded work is released under a license that allows
> commercial usage and redistribution in a free/libre manner.
>
> For the purposes of demonstration, let's say the video I recorded and
> then released was exactly 30 minutes long.
>
> The only role H.264 played was in the original capture of the video. 
> It existed only on the camera as well as on my computer after
> copying.  I may keep this file for archival purposes, but I do not
> intend on releasing it for commercial purposes.
>
> Would licensing fees related to the usage of the H.264 spec in the
> above-outlined scenario be applicable?
>
> Additionally, I would request that I can share your response to this
> question of mine on librevideo.org, the contents of which are CC-BY-SA
> 3.0 US (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/).  I think
> the answer is something many people have been seeking, and for which
> licensing terms and explanations by others have been very confusing to
> the lay person who is the actual target user of said products.
>
> Thank you in advance for your explanation.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Basil Mohamed Gohar, /Libre Video/ (http://librevideo.org)