<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>I can see how it is counter productive in the creation of the specification, but the fact that such licensing is being considered for what is supposed to be "open & free" is counter productive to the advancement of web technologies. I feel we cannot allow companies like Microsoft and Apple to take advantage of such patents. Allowing the H.264 to be a part of the spec without it being royalty free only gives those corporations more control over invention and publication on the internet. The WHATWG and the HTML5 spec should be focusing on creating a breeding ground of innovation and invention. Not looking for the quickest route to implementation.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply to your question, the outlined goals of the W3C state the following in regards to proprietary patents being included in their recommendations:</div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/patent-practice">http://www.w3.org/TR/patent-practice</a></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; "><ul><li>establish Royalty-Free implementation as a <a href="#sec-Licensing" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">goal</a> for Recommendations produced by new and re-chartered Working Groups;</li><li>encourage maximum <a href="#sec-Disclosure" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">disclosure</a> of patents that might prevent a W3C Recommendation from being implemented on a Royalty-Free basis;</li><li>provide a <a href="#sec-PAG" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">process</a> for addressing situations in which the goal of Royalty-Free implementation may not be attainable.</li></ul><div>Allowing the H.264 codec in the spec goes against all of these principles. </div></span></div><div><br></div><br><div><div>On Mar 28, 2010, at 2:07 AM, Gregory Maxwell wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 8:53 PM, Aaron Franco <<a href="mailto:aaron@ngrinder.com">aaron@ngrinder.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite">Hello WHATWG,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Due to the proprietary nature of the H.264 codec and the expensive licensing<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">fees that go along with it, I propose that the MPEGLA and the Licensors of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the codec disclose the patents royalty free if the codec is included as a<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">part of the HTML5 specification. I am aware that this is already a<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">requirement of the W3C, but it seems the license has not been disclosed yet.<br></blockquote><br>The licensing income from mpeg codecs results to billions of dollars<br>per year in aggregate. What reason would the patent owners have for<br>forgoing this income? I believe that for some of the licensing<br>companies the royalty income from these formats is their only income.<br><br>Even if the adoption of alternative codecs in the context of the web<br>severely reduced income from H.264, some income is still more than no<br>income.<br><br>Without a reasonable response to these questions I can't see how such<br>a discussion on that whatwg list could have hope of being productive.<br></div></blockquote></div><br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><br></div></div></div></span> </div><br></body></html>