Subject: [AVTCORE] RFC 3951 source code usage situation just got murkier

From: "Kevin P. Fleming" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:48:35 -0500

RFC 3951 is the specification of iLBC, and includes the reference 
implementation in C source code. This is distributed by the IETF under 
its normal license terms (BSD-style). However, the creators of the codec 
claimed to have patents that would be infringed by distribution/usage of 
that code (and made appropriate IPR disclosures to the IETF), and they 
offered a free patent non-assert license via the 'ilbcfreeware.org' web 
site. Many people have been taking advantage of this license for years 
now, in order to ensure they could safely use the code from RFC 3951.

After Google's acquisition of GIPS, the situation has changed. There is 
a new implementation of iLBC on the WebRTC site, under a different 
license, with an explicit patent grant. However, that patent grant 
applies *only* to the WebRTC implementation, not the implementation in 
RFC 3951. The previous license mechanism on 'ilbcfreeware.org' has been 
removed and is no longer available.

This leaves the community in the unfortunate situation of having an RFC 
that contains a reference implementation, which has had IPR disclosures 
made against it, but for which no free licensing terms are available 
(even though they were in the past).

-- 
Kevin P. Fleming
Digium, Inc. | Director of Software Technologies
Jabber: [email-masked] | SIP: [email-masked] | Skype: kpfleming
445 Jan Davis Drive NW - Huntsville, AL 35806 - USA
Check us out at www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org