Hugin in itself is not commercial but if you are making panoramas using Hugin and SIFT and selling the panoramas, that is a commercial use of SIFT. If you are making them for fun, that isn't a commercial use.
Patents take time to be issued so it is not uncommon for research to be released before a patent is granted but it may have been applied for much earlier. On Dec 22, 8:30 pm, Dale Beams <[email protected]> wrote: > As I recall, SIFT was released prior to patent or permission (research would > have to be done). How it was released prior to the Uni bringing it back so > to speak. > > Are the derivatives based from the original release? > > Commercial would have to be defined. Hugin may not qualify as a commercial > applications because no monetary exchanged has been made. > > Because Hugin and it's ability to use outside source builds or binaries of > these programs are non-commercial, Hugin could conceivably include these in > thier programs and be free and clear > > Cheers ... :) > > > Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:46:53 -0800 > > Subject: [hugin-ptx] Re: Moral questions > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > > SIFT and SURF prohibit commercial application without a license (or > > waiver in the case of SURF). From the SIFT site: > > >http://people.cs.ubc.ca/~lowe/keypoints/ > > This demo software is provided for research purposes only. A license > > must be obtained from the University of British Columbia for any > > commercial applications. The sofware is protected under a US patent as > > listed below. This demo software is a research implementation, while > > the licensed software has been further optimized for speed and to > > provide a range of other capabilities. See the LICENSE file provided > > with the demo software. > > > From the SURF page (interesting that the SURF page says it is > > copyrighted but there is no mention of a patent) > > >http://www.vision.ee.ethz.ch/~surf/download.html > > SURF is noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial > > purposes. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others > > the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived > > if you get written permission from the copyright holder. > > > However, the third party SIFT and SURF implementations are less clear > > but then they don't own the patents. > > > On Dec 22, 7:16 pm, Dale Beams <[email protected]> wrote: > > > The real question is, does the SIFT or SURF patent author allow or > > > disallow the use of the patent without payment? > > > > There are many software patents within the Free Software Foundation and > > > others in which use of that patent requires no monetary reimbursement. > > > > Perhaps the patent obligations should be stated in the source and/or > > > binary of the download. > > > > Simply because it's patented does not mean that it requires payment from > > > the author. > > > > > Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:03:07 -0800 > > > > Subject: [hugin-ptx] Re: Moral questions > > > > From: [email protected] > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > > No. My bottom line is that if you use a patented algorithm to make a > > > > panorama for profit without paying the inventor of the algorithm, can > > > > you be outraged if your panorama is used by others without payment to > > > > you. I do not support a per scene fee such as iPix had and the > > > > inventors of SIFT do not appear to be requesting that. I can deal > > > > with being flamed. That seems to be typical when someone points out > > > > the emperor has no clothes. > > > > > On Dec 22, 6:19 am, "[email protected]" > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The bottom line is that he is afraid to tell those patent holders that > > > > > he is willing to pay them for every image he stitched using their > > > > > methods. So, he came here to get general public support, but got flame > > > > > instead. And now he is in double trouble being alone with his shame of > > > > > using patented method and do not pay for them and without any general > > > > > public support. He will not sleep well now. ;-) > > > > > > DaveN, if you so sure that patented products need to be honored and > > > > > fees > > > > > payed, go ahead and pay them. Why do you need everyones opinion about > > > > > it. Not that I am against patented products, but against childish > > > > > position of individual: "If majority doing it this way it is good and > > > > > I > > > > > should follow them". I am sure if you would live in China your mind > > > > > set > > > > > would be different. What you are going to do with this general public > > > > > support? Show group's threads in a court? > > > > > > Leonid > > > > > > Dale Beams wrote: > > > > > > The question is who is SURF patented by? By a university or an > > > > > > individual? > > > > > > > There are many patents within the linux/gpl community. However > > > > > > there > > > > > > are organizations who have purchased and protect those patents > > > > > > against > > > > > > litigation, opening up use for everyone. > > > > > > > Patents are being used to protect open source, gpl, and linux in > > > > > > general, and still allow the use of those patents to anybody. > > > > > > > Isn't this the same thing that SIFT and SURF have done? > > > > > > > > Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:19:25 +0100 > > > > > > > Subject: Re: [hugin-ptx] Re: Moral questions > > > > > > > From: [email protected] > > > > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > > > > > 2009/12/18 DaveN <[email protected]>: > > > > > > > > I thought SURF was also patented but maybe it is only the > > > > > > > > implementation that is copyrighted. I don't know for sure. > > > > > > It would > > > > > > > > be nice to see a patent-free control generator for Hugin > > > > > > though. I am > > > > > > > > not a programmer so I wouldn't be much help. Here is the wiki > > > > > > page: > > > > > > > > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SURF > > > > > > > > > but you may have that already. > > > > > > > > You are still messing things up. SURF (the algorithm) is > > > > > > patented. You > > > > > > > can patent algorithm (in meaning of technical procedure), but > > > > > > honestly > > > > > > > there is only slight difference between patented algorithm and > > > > > > > software patent so it may not be valid everywhere. But speaking > > > > > > about > > > > > > > the software (implementation) the copyright law applies. > > > > > > > > > On Dec 18, 9:41 am, Dale Beams <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > >> On that note, have you considered the SURF algorithm? > > > > > > > > >> It appears that SURF is closed source as well, but there > > > > > > appears > > > > > > to be an "OpenSURF". > > > > > > > > >> This would be an interesting research topic. One of Hugin's > > > > > > goals > > > > > > is to produce it's own auto cp detector or use a GPL version of one. > > > > > > > > >> Drop a note back on SURF. I'm interested in knowing what you > > > > > > find. > > > > > > > > >> > Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:20:46 -0800 > > > > > > > >> > Subject: [hugin-ptx] Re: Moral questions > > > > > > > >> > From: [email protected] > > > > > > > >> > To: [email protected] > > > > > > > > >> > <<But I wonder, why are you asking about these patent and/or > > > > > > copyrighy > > > > > > > >> > infringement issues?>> > > > > > > > > >> > It is something that has been bothering me for a long time > > > > > > and never > > > > > > > >> > really has been discussed in the open. To me, the inventor > > > > > > of the > > > > > > > >> > SIFT algorithm deserves some benefit for his work but isn't > > > > > > really > > > > > > > >> > getting it. Sure SIFT has his University's approval for > > > > > > use in non- > > > > > > > >> > commercial work but that seems to be taken by many a bit > > > > > > liberally. > > > > > > > > >> > << To me, at first, it was like you are planning to > > > > > > > >> > release a derivative of Hugin yourself, but apparently I > > > > > > was wrong > > > > > > > >> > (which is good). Did you spot a Hugin rip-off somewhere? >> > > > > > > > > >> > You are right in that I have no plans on releasing a > > > > > > derivative of > > > > > > > >> > Hugin and I don't know of any Hugin rip-offs. I have been > > > > > > evaluating > > > > > > > >> > options for Mac 10.6 and it looks like Autopano Pro is my > > > > > > only > > > > > > > >> > alternative if I want to use SIFT. > > > > > > > > >> > On Dec 18, 8:53 am, Bart van Andel <[email protected]> > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > >> > > On 18 dec, 16:33, DaveN <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > >> > > > Regardless, I seem to be beating a dead horse here. It > > > > > > is > > > > > > clear the > > > > > > > >> > > > feeling here, IMHO, is 'I follow the rules I see fit, > > > > > > ignore > > > > > > the ones > > > > > > > >> > > > I don't see as fit, and have no issue in expecting that > > > > > > my > > > > > > work will > > > > > > > >> > > > not be infringed upon.' > > > > > > > > >> > > Luckily, that's just your opinion. > > > > > > > > >> > > But I wonder, why are you asking about these patent and/or > > > > > > copyrighy > > > > > > > >> > > infringement issues? To me, at first, it was like you are > > > > > > planning to > > > > > > > >> > > release a derivative of Hugin yourself, but apparently I > > > > > > was wrong > > > > > > > >> > > (which is good). Did you spot a Hugin rip-off somewhere? > > > > > > > > >> > > -- > > > > > > > >> > > Bart > > > > > > > > >> > -- > > > > > > > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the > > > > > > Google Groups "hugin and other free panoramic software" group. > > > > > > > >> > A list of frequently asked questions is available > > > > > > at:http://wiki.panotools.org/Hugin_FAQ > > > > > > > >> > To post to this group, send email to > > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > >> > For more options, visit this group > > > > > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/hugin-ptx > > > > > > > > >> > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > > > > > >> Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM > > > > > > protection.http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the > > > > > > Google > > > > > > Groups "hugin and other free panoramic software" group. > > > > > > > > A list of frequently asked questions is available at: > > > > > >http://wiki.panotools.org/Hugin_FAQ > > > > > > > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > ... > > read more » -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hugin and other free panoramic software" group. 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