"According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patent these patents
are generally good for 20 years."
MP3 was "standardized" in 1993. At that time, patents lasted 17 years in
the USA (it has since been lengthened to 20, but this is NOT
retroactive). So everything essential to MP3 playback should be in the
public domain in 2010.
"20 years from the latest date of grant of any of the patents listed in
http://mp3licensing.com/patents/ falls on October 20, 2023 (the "Method
for transmitting a TDAC coded audio signal" patent was granted in Norway
on October 20, 2003). I offer this as an estimate of when any of the
known patents covering MP3 is no longer enforcible anywhere in the world."
The "newest patent" is not of any particular concern. It may cover some
optimized algorithm for MP3 playback, but all the essential components
needed to encode/decode MP3 audio will be in the public domain (in the
USA) at some point in 2010.
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