[FFmpeg-devel] Big companies taking advantage of ffmpeg developers

[Michel Bardiaux]

Crypto a ?crit :
> Michael
> Michael Niedermayer wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 23, 2007 at 02:22:20PM +0200, Crypto wrote:
>>   
>>> I just wonder why some companies refuse to give credit to you, I 
>>> discovered that Viewcast Corporation http://www.viewcast.com have launch 
>>> a new version of their main product  Niagara SCX and the only apreciable 
>>> advantage is that now they use ffmpeg with out fiving credit to ffmpeg. 
>>> It's mroe thier licence is agains the LGPL in some terms.
>>>     
>> which terms?
>>   
> First they do not give credict as stated on the LGPL and
> 
> 1.  GRANT OF LICENSE. This EULA grants you a restricted non-exclusive 
> license with the following rights: Use and Copy. ViewCast grants to you 
> the right to use copies of the ViewCast SOFTWARE PRODUCT. You may make 
> copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT for backup and archival purposes ONLY.
> 
[snip]

It is all about how they define the 'software product'. It is actually 
rather common for Windows software to have EULAs where 'the product' 
means (without saying explicitly so!) the actual proprietary part, while 
the setup also installs some 'redistributable system components' - like 
the latest versions of some MS DLLs; without crediting the 'owner' of 
these components, or protecting them in any way in the EULA. In short, 
they distribute libavcodec.dll etc as if they were MS dlls. Of course we 
(I mean the ffmpeg developpers) dont like that, but maybe they 
(viewcast) dont know any better. Maybe we should gently explain to them 
what the LGPL requires, before we accuse them of 'taking advantage'.

-- 
Michel Bardiaux
R&D Director
T +32 [0] 2 790 29 41
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