Re: Is there any plan to split ffmpeg into ffmpeg(without patent issue) and ffmeeg-freeworld?
Chen Lei wrote:
Debian ffmpeg maintainers simply disabled some codecs in %configure
instead of strip the source code as before.
http://supercyper.fedorapeople.org/ffmpeg/debian/README.Source
But FE-legal seems much more strict than debian-legal, I wonder whether we
can do it in the same way.
No. Fedora's position is that patent-encumbered code cannot be shipped at
all, not even in the SRPM. Software patents in the US also apply to source
code, at least according to Red Hat's lawyers.
Another thing need to consider is how many codecs could be approved
by FE-
legal, can we ship as many codecs as debian counterpart?
http://packages.debian.org/source/sid/ffmpeg
No. Debian considers all decoders fair game to ship and only restricts
encoders, for whatever reason. There is nothing in US patent law which would
make decoders any less subject to patents than encoders. So Fedora is not
that lax.
Kevin Kofler