[vlc-devel] [vlc-commits] commit: Contrib: support for vpx with HACKS (Jean-Baptiste Kempf )

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

On Thu, 20 May 2010 00:40:23 +0200 (CEST), git at videolan.org wrote:
> vlc | branch: master | Jean-Baptiste Kempf <jb at videolan.org> | Thu May 20
> 00:35:25 2010 +0200| [b2c48abbf83774ecb46549351fd9de73d381ef24] |
> committer: Jean-Baptiste Kempf
> 
> Contrib: support for vpx with HACKS
> 
> The library buildsystem is a MESS, and I am polite...
> The patch is a bad workaround for the wait of a better solution.
> Is google really that low a standard? Maybe they should recrute other
> people...

More importantly, I think the libvpx license is _not_ compatible with GPL
version 2. The last paragraph states:

| (...) If You or your agent or exclusive licensee institute or order
| or agree to the institution of patent litigation against any entity
| (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that
| this implementation of VP8 or any code incorporated within this
| implementation of VP8 constitutes direct or contributory patent
| infringement, or inducement of patent infringement, then any rights
| granted to You under this License for this implementation of VP8
| shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.

Admittedly, the VideoLAN project owns zero patents and is not a
supporter of patent litigation. But nonetheless, this paragraph adds       
      
a restriction to the license which is not found in GPL version 2.
Hence, I think it is not compatible with it. As such any attempt to
distribute a VLC linked in any way with libvpx is probably a violation
of the VLC copyright license.

It might or might not be compatible with GPL version 3;
the interactions between the two are too complicated for me:

| (...) you may not impose a license fee, royalty, or other charge for
| exercise of rights granted under this License, and you may not
| initiate litigation (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a
| lawsuit) alleging that any patent claim is infringed by making, using,
| selling, offering for sale, or importing the Program or any portion
| of it.

-- 
Rémi Denis-Courmont
http://www.remlab.net
http://fi.linkedin.com/in/remidenis