[vorbis-dev] Vorbis license terms?

[Lynn Winebarger]

On Mon, 14 Feb 2000, Steve Anichini wrote:

> A GPL'd codec library is NOT sufficient for unemcumbered development and
> propagation of the standard. In an ideal world, all software would be GPL'd.
> But this is not an ideal world. And just "wishing" it to be so isn't going
> to make it happen.
> 
  I didn't say anything about development.  I said usage, meaning the
people who actually use the tool in producing content.  As for
propagation, you don't need open standards to promote propagation of a
given format - look at RealNetworks' or Microsoft's codecs.  Widespread,
but not at all open.  
  I also didn't say that in the ideal world, all software would be GPL'ed.
While I dislike proprietary software because its secrecy makes it hard to
work with (in terms of someone who likes to see how things work), I have
no problem with the principles of copyright.  If I wanted to write a
textbook about a subject, I wouldn't moan and groan about not being able
to use pieces of someone else's book, I'd write my own versions and be
glad I had someone else's writing to inform me of the issues.  If it were
software, I'd probably release it under GPL because it would be more
useful to me to have other people contributing to it.  It being adapted to
proprietary usage would be nearly worthless to me (no, I don't consider
bug fixes to be all that great of an advantage by themselves - the real
advantage is substantial additional features and/or new applications using
it).

> I work for a smaller developer that would be interested in using libvorbis
> in the future. We are stuck between the rock and the hard place of being too
> small to be able to afford MP3 royalties and not having the resources to
> develop a codec in house. While someday in the future our game engine may

    With open specifications for the codec, you don't have to develop the
codec, you only need to implement it.  Not easy, but not as hard as
inventing a new codec either.

> Given such a situation we could never use a license such as the GPL that
> would taint the entire game. Thus we can't use any GPL'd components in our
> engine.
    No, you _could_ use such a license, you _choose_ not to do so.  Don't
blame the GPL for your choices.  If you feel it's economically infeasible
to put it under GPL, fine - but there's no reason to expect a free lunch
either.
    If you want widespread adoption of Vorbis, all that would be required
is having both GPL and proprietary licensing options.  
    Of course, this is all dependent on the goals of whoever writes the
software, and in this case they prefer the LGPL.  I don't begrudge them
their choice.

Lynn

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