[Asterisk-Users] g729 status in New Zealand

[trixter aka Bret McDanel]

On Wed, 2005-11-16 at 13:22 +1300, Richard Malcolm-Smith wrote:
> As far as I was aware a license was only required in contries that had software 
> patents, I know that there arnt here so I am just seeking clarification if thats 
> all there is to it.

This issue was beaten to death before, software patents are not the only
issue, while it is true that this software is covered under a patent the
application is written broad enough to say that its an algorithm or
device not just software.  Or so the people who misunderstood me kept
yelling towards me.

There are some countries where you can only patent a physical device
that exists and then only that device.  As the codec doesnt qualify in
those countries specifically, the patent is not valid there.  Those
countries specifically forbid the patenting of mathematical algorithms,
etc.  This was the issue that many people misunderstood or refused to
accept and tried to turn the discussion into whether or not one was
deserved rather than is it enforcable in a specific location.

Be warned you opened a can of worms by asking this question.

In short I dont know if patents in new zealand cover nonexistant
devices, theories, algorithms, etc.  But you may want to broaden your
search from just software patents to what types of patents are allowed
and whether algorithms and other types are patentable in wherever anyone
who reads this happens to reside.

Regardless digium has no way of giving out the g.729 codec without a
license so you will have to look elsewhere to get one for asterisk.
There is a patch file to use the intel code. You have to go thruogh a
long drawn out process to get the code from intel, registering, agreeing
to the license terms blah blah blah.  Once you get it its fairly
straight forward to apply the patch.  The hardest part is getting the
code.

The patch is released under the GPL but by doing that the patch authors
violate the GPL so in effect there is no license for that software.  You
cant tie a gpl product to something that is licensed contrary to the
gpl, that specifically is in their faq.

If you know where to look there is another option out there that doesnt
use either method, but I have doubts about how legal that one is, so I
will not comment on that.

-- 
Trixter http://www.0xdecafbad.com     Bret McDanel
UK +44 870 340 4605   Germany +49 801 777 555 3402
US +1 360 207 0479 or +1 516 687 5200
FreeWorldDialup: 635378
http://www.sacaug.org/ Sacramento Asterisk Users Group
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