Re: RFC 3951 source code usage situation just got murkier

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See https://datatracker.ietf.org/ipr/search/?option=rfc_search&rfc_search=3951 for page of Global IP Sound's Statement About IPR Claimed in draft-ietf-avt-ilbc-codec https://datatracker.ietf.org/ipr/319/ and for Global IP Sound AB's Patent Statement pertaining to draft-andersen-ilbc-00.txt
 https://datatracker.ietf.org/ipr/64/

Kevin, are you stating  these assurances are no longer valid?

George T. Willingmyre, P.E.
President, GTW Associates
Spencerville, MD USA 20868
301.421.4138
www.gtwassociates.com



----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin P. Fleming" <kpfleming@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ietf@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 11:18 AM
Subject: RFC 3951 source code usage situation just got murkier


RFC 3951 is the specification of iLBC, and includes the reference implementation in C source code. This is distributed by the IETF under its normal license terms (BSD-style). However, the creators of the codec claimed to have patents that would be infringed by distribution/usage of that code (and made appropriate IPR disclosures to the IETF), and they offered a free patent non-assert license via the 'ilbcfreeware.org' web site. Many people have been taking advantage of this license for years now, in order to ensure they could safely use the code from RFC 3951.

After Google's acquisition of GIPS, the situation has changed. There is a new implementation of iLBC on the WebRTC site, under a different license, with an explicit patent grant. However, that patent grant applies *only* to the WebRTC implementation, not the implementation in RFC 3951. The previous license mechanism on 'ilbcfreeware.org' has been removed and is no longer available.

This leaves the community in the unfortunate situation of having an RFC that contains a reference implementation, which has had IPR disclosures made against it, but for which no free licensing terms are available (even though they were in the past).

--
Kevin P. Fleming
Digium, Inc. | Director of Software Technologies
Jabber: kfleming@xxxxxxxxxx | SIP: kpfleming@xxxxxxxxxx | Skype: kpfleming
445 Jan Davis Drive NW - Huntsville, AL 35806 - USA
Check us out at www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org
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