<--- here is MPEG LA's autoreponder --->
Thanks for your thoughtful input. We appreciate your taking the time to share your views with us and we welcome your feedback. The license agreement is still in the process of being worked out. Your views are important to us and will be taken into consideration.
Our goal, like yours, is to promote the widest possible use of the MPEG-4 Visual standard, and we are sensitive to the need to structure a reasonable license that is consistent with marketplace conditions. We certainly understand that the success of a licensing program relies on the success of the underlying technology. Our business is to make it possible for new technologies (like MPEG-4 Visual) to enter the marketplace by making the essential intellectual property rights accessible to everyone on fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms under a single license. If there were no MPEG LA®, the essential patent rights would still have to be dealt with, but instead of having the opportunity to deal with one company for a single license that includes those rights, users' only option would be to deal with each patent holder individually. Our efforts aim to provide the marketplace with ready access to MPEG-4 Visual essential patents owned by 18 different companies (soon there will be more, but our goal is to include as many essential patents as possible in one license; therefore, royalty rates will not increase during the term of the agreement even as new patent owners and more patents are included).
MPEG LA continues to work with the patent owners to assure that the license is responsive. Everything is in a state of constant review. If something isn't right, every effort is made to fix it. We also note that there are many different views to be considered. Because of MPEG LA's role, you have the opportunity to discuss your concerns with us, and we in turn can communicate them to the patent owners. Please keep in mind that, because of the difficulties involved in bringing many different patent owners across the world to a common agreement, it may take several months to complete the details of the MPEG-4 Visual licensing agreement. There will be much discussion before all of this is sorted out, and changes may be expected.
Thanks again for your contribution to this process and will keep you informed.
Best regards,
xxxx xxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 8:59 AM
To: Marina Bosi
Subject:
Hello xxxx,
I am a web broadcaster currently streaming Windows Media as my format of choice. I use Windows Media for three main reasons... compression ratio, consumer availability, and cost. It makes really small files, everyone has the player, and the encoding and server software is free.
I wish to move my radio station away from proprietary codecs to a professional standard codec like MPEG 4. Web developers look to adopt standards that will make there content available to the widest audience... and mpeg 4 can do that. Also, MPEG 4 has the opportunity to become the next "hip" codec, making it bigger than mp3. This is all possible if MPEG 4 is free for broadcasters and listeners. I don't see how MPEG 4 can become popular under its current licensing policy. Trends are set by grassroots efforts, and no one at that level will be willing/able to pay the fees you are asking for.
I hope it all works out for both sides.
-xxxx
Thanks for your thoughtful input. We appreciate your taking the time to share your views with us and we welcome your feedback. The license agreement is still in the process of being worked out. Your views are important to us and will be taken into consideration.
Our goal, like yours, is to promote the widest possible use of the MPEG-4 Visual standard, and we are sensitive to the need to structure a reasonable license that is consistent with marketplace conditions. We certainly understand that the success of a licensing program relies on the success of the underlying technology. Our business is to make it possible for new technologies (like MPEG-4 Visual) to enter the marketplace by making the essential intellectual property rights accessible to everyone on fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms under a single license. If there were no MPEG LA®, the essential patent rights would still have to be dealt with, but instead of having the opportunity to deal with one company for a single license that includes those rights, users' only option would be to deal with each patent holder individually. Our efforts aim to provide the marketplace with ready access to MPEG-4 Visual essential patents owned by 18 different companies (soon there will be more, but our goal is to include as many essential patents as possible in one license; therefore, royalty rates will not increase during the term of the agreement even as new patent owners and more patents are included).
MPEG LA continues to work with the patent owners to assure that the license is responsive. Everything is in a state of constant review. If something isn't right, every effort is made to fix it. We also note that there are many different views to be considered. Because of MPEG LA's role, you have the opportunity to discuss your concerns with us, and we in turn can communicate them to the patent owners. Please keep in mind that, because of the difficulties involved in bringing many different patent owners across the world to a common agreement, it may take several months to complete the details of the MPEG-4 Visual licensing agreement. There will be much discussion before all of this is sorted out, and changes may be expected.
Thanks again for your contribution to this process and will keep you informed.
Best regards,
xxxx xxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 8:59 AM
To: Marina Bosi
Subject:
Hello xxxx,
I am a web broadcaster currently streaming Windows Media as my format of choice. I use Windows Media for three main reasons... compression ratio, consumer availability, and cost. It makes really small files, everyone has the player, and the encoding and server software is free.
I wish to move my radio station away from proprietary codecs to a professional standard codec like MPEG 4. Web developers look to adopt standards that will make there content available to the widest audience... and mpeg 4 can do that. Also, MPEG 4 has the opportunity to become the next "hip" codec, making it bigger than mp3. This is all possible if MPEG 4 is free for broadcasters and listeners. I don't see how MPEG 4 can become popular under its current licensing policy. Trends are set by grassroots efforts, and no one at that level will be willing/able to pay the fees you are asking for.
I hope it all works out for both sides.
-xxxx