MP3-Inhaber erzeugen Unsicherheit um Ogg

[PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>]

Ogg Vorbis (kurz: ogg) ist ein vollwertiger und besserer Ersatz für MP3.  
Ähnlich wie im Verhältnis von PNG und GIF gingen die Entwickler große
Umwege, um Patente zu umgehen und etwas garantiert anderes zu
programmieren.

Allerdings ist bei Patenten nie etwas zu garantieren.  Diverse Inhaber von
MP3-bezogenen Patenten säen derzeit gezielte Zweifel an der Patentfreiheit
von Ogg Vorbis um so die Abwanderung ihrer Lizenzkunden zu Ogg Vorbis zu
verhindern.  Einerseits übliche von Microsoft bekannte FUD-Taktik,
andererseits auf tatsächliche vom Patentsystem geschaffene
Rechtsunsicherheit gegründet.

Wenn Patentämter wissen, wer ein Monopol auf eine Idee verdient, dann
sollte man eigentlich annehmen, dass sie auch prüfen können, ob Ogg
Patente verletzt und hierüber zu günstigen Konditionen ein bindendes
Gutachten abgeben können.  Aber weit gefehlt.  Wer Patentämtern Vernunft
und guten Willen unterstellt, geht von naiven Prämissen aus.

Unter

   http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4101023.html

wird ausführlich über Schwierigkeiten des Projektes Ogg berichtet.

Allerdings liegt der Journalist daneben, wenn er sagt, die
Ogg-Programmierer beteuerten, sie hätten alles 100% eigenständig (from
scratch) entwickelt.  Natürlich sind auch 100% eigenständige Entwicklungen
von Patenten betroffen.  In Wirklichkeit haben die Ogg-Entwickler nicht
nur eigenständig entwickelt sondern mit großer Mühe naheliegende
Prinzipien wie die im Zusammenhang mit MP3 patentierten gemieden.  Aber
man kann ja nie wissen, wie breit ein Anspruch ausgelegt werden könnte.
Eine Klage reicht jedenfalls, um ein solches Opensource-Projekt
lahmzulegen.  Und Fraunhofer/Thomson droht bereits indirekt mit Klage.

...

   Analysts say the open-source effort has gained more ground in its
   short existence than many had expected. Some say it's more likely to
   succeed in applications such as video games since developers loathe
   paying MP3's licensing fees and can take advantage of the free format
   without worrying about whether consumers have players.

   Even if Vorbis takes off, however, its future as an MP3 alternative is
   not guaranteed. If the format gains enough popularity, it will almost
   certainly face a patent infringement challenge from the owners of the
   MP3 standard, analysts said.

   "I had been skeptical that anything would come of it," said Forrester
   Research analyst Eric Scheirer. "But it is a (technology) that is
   competitive with MP3...The question is how well it will stand up to
   patent challenges."

   MP3's challenge
   The owner of most of the intellectual property inside the MP3 format
   is Germany's Fraunhofer Institute, a massive research organization
   with interests far beyond audio technology. It's licensed its rights
   to Thomson Multimedia, which collects the growing patent royalties.

   That company already charges MP3 download companies about 1 percent of
   royalties, while hardware companies must pay 50 cents per unit
   shipped. MP3 encoder companies, such as Musicmatch, pay Thomson about
   $5 per unit, contributing to the relative scarcity of free MP3
   "rippers."

   Thomson hasn't yet decided what to charge Webcasters using the MP3
   format. Vice president of new business Henri Linde says that fee will
   likely be 1 percent of annual revenue, or an annual fee of $1,000 for
   small companies.

   Despite those payments, the MP3 format is still soaring in the
   marketplace. Thomson's figures show that 10 million hardware devices
   supporting the format have been manufactured, and roughly 150 million
   software units have been downloaded or otherwise distributed.

   That gives Thomson and Fraunhofer a huge head start in the market even
   as other music formats such as Windows Media are gaining ground. It
   also gives them a huge stake in protecting that lead against any sign
   of encroachment by Vorbis.

   The Ogg developers staunchly defend the notion that they have created
   everything from scratch, or at least have built their system without
   using any of the Fraunhofer-owned technology. But their rivals say
   they aren't so sure.

   "We doubt very much that they are not using Fraunhofer and Thomson
   intellectual property," Linde said. "We think it is likely they are
   infringing."

   Whether this is true, analysts say Thomson and the German company are
   likely to file patent lawsuits the moment Vorbis appears to be a
   viable market candidate. By creating a perception of uncertainty
   around Vorbis' future, MP3's parents could prevent conservative
   digital music companies from adopting it.

   "If you're going to go into a marketplace where people play hardball,
   that's what hardball looks like," Scheirer warned.

-phm