Re: RFC 3951 source code usage situation just got murkier

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We're working on an updated IPR statement.
We had it on our list of things that need doing, but until now, it didn't seem the most urgent thing in the world.

                 Harald (for once speaking for Google).

On 09/07/11 17:18, Kevin P. Fleming wrote:
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).


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