Darth Viscera
Aug 22nd, 2002, 02:17:25 PM
has taken the source code for <a href=http://www.xvid.org>XviD (http://www.sigmadesigns.com>Sigma), the last remaining free and open MPEG-4 video codec (it's like DivX, only open source) and is distributing it as its own product, under the name Sigma Designs’ REALmagic® MPEG-4 Video Codec. They refuse to honor the <a href=http://www.geocities.com/yccheok/palmxq/LICENSE.txt>GNU General Public License</a> under which XviD was distributed, and are not releasing the source code to the public. Please do what you can. Without high quality, free and open MPEG-4 codecs, research in video compression will be completely at the hands of the corporations. What does this mean to you? That over time, the Star Wars fan films which you download from theforce.net will not be higher quality, a smaller filesize, and it may cost money to encode them, which knocks out personal creativity.
I've written an email to Sigma Designs' (see below). Until Sigma Designs' adheres to the GNU, the XviD video codec project has been stopped. If you want to write a similar email to them, I (and all the other users of XviD, and indirectly the makers of free Star Wars fan films) will be very grateful.
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please provide to me at your earliest convenience a copy of the source code for your derivative of the XviD codec, the Sigma Designs’ REALmagic® MPEG-4 Video Codec. I wish to exercise my right to change the free software, as stipulated in the GNU General Public License which Sigma Designs’ accepted by distributing and/or modifying the XviD Program or works based on it.
I thank you for your time and consideration,
EDIT~Here's some links, the GNU violation has already been reported to slashdot.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32015
I've written an email to Sigma Designs' (see below). Until Sigma Designs' adheres to the GNU, the XviD video codec project has been stopped. If you want to write a similar email to them, I (and all the other users of XviD, and indirectly the makers of free Star Wars fan films) will be very grateful.
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please provide to me at your earliest convenience a copy of the source code for your derivative of the XviD codec, the Sigma Designs’ REALmagic® MPEG-4 Video Codec. I wish to exercise my right to change the free software, as stipulated in the GNU General Public License which Sigma Designs’ accepted by distributing and/or modifying the XviD Program or works based on it.
I thank you for your time and consideration,
EDIT~Here's some links, the GNU violation has already been reported to slashdot.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32015