On Thu Aug 15 10:18 +1200, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Why?? Is the MP3 format licensed?? There are plenty of freeware programs > for emcoding MP3's in Windows, do they pay license fees?? And there are > Open Source MP3 encoders, what precludes their inclusion in ML? Why is > RipperX included in the distro then?? Just to rip waves and encode OGG > files?? I think it is legal to RIP one's own CD's to MP3 for use on > one's own PC, so I'm sorry if I don't see the problem here. Please > enlighten me and others who may also wonder...
An outfit in Germany (the Fraunhofer Institute) has patents on several algorithms that are used in MP3 encoders. Essentially, binary distribution of MP3 encoders that use these algorithms is highly questionable in nations (such as the US and Japan) that have software patents, unless one pays Fraunhofer. -- Levi Ramsey [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Was it something I said? And the stars look down. Linux 2.4.18-21mdk 7:00pm up 19:04, 6 users, load average: 0.53, 0.31, 0.28
