MPEG LA Fees - Illegal?

[dricci]

Check out this paper covering the legality of MPEG-LA trying to impose fees for MPEG-4 use. It's main concept that congress has only approved MPEG-LA to manage MPEG-2, an entirley different technology, so by MPEG-LA demaning fees, they may be trying to collect for something they have no legal control over.

http://www.on2.com/news_position_paper.php3

I agree completley, the companies just want more and more $$$. This should be a free standard, so it can be widly accepted.

 

[Koelling]

The author has some good points but I don't agree with all of them. He states that there should be no pooling of patents, that the individual companies should remain seperate and continue as we are (Avi vs. Real vs. Mov. vs whatever comes next). I really truely believe that having one "Standard" is necessary and this MPEG-4 is the way to go because it is better quality verses size.

I do agree with the title of this tread. I didn't know that MPEG-LA had no right at all to charge for the use of MPEG-4. As stated in the article, MPEG-LA was created for MPEG-2 patient pooling and has no right to charge in this case.

We need this to be free so that we have one standard for internet media. MPEG-4 is a sweet technology but will never catch on if it isn't allowed.