H.264 Royalty free forever

MPEG LA, the organization that administers the patent pool that applies to H.264 announced earlier this week that royalty-free use for free internet video will now continue forever (previously they had announced an extension to 2016.)

Who does this impact?
Really, it only impacts sites/people that host videos.

What about the fact that my camera uses H.264? and my software?
Well, the camera maker and the software maker had to pay already. But you can happily use your camera and editing software. And if you put the resulting video on a web page (and don't charge people to view it) then you're free and clear.

What if I charge?
Then you have to get licenses and pay fees, but that hasn't changed; you had to do that last week too.


For more information:
CNET: Web video gets H.264 royalty reprieve
Gizmodo: H.264 Will Be Royalty Free For Internet Video Forever, Mozilla Still Doesn't Care

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