MPEG LA extends H.264 Codec Royalty-Free Licensing

Whether you’re just starting out in the world of video or been at it for some time, it’s highly likely you’ve had to deal with codecs like H.264, which belongs to the MPEG family of codecs. Many of us have a general knowledge of codecs; a knowledge that grows every time we come across a codec problem. Others have mastered the codec; having used their knowledge to implement a vast array of technologies, forever changing the way we interact with video-sharing sites, video hardware and software.

MPEG LA has issued licenses for over 1,000 H.264-related patents. According to MPEG LA, their “initial licensing program for MPEG-2 digital video compression helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history.”  This past Tuesday, MPEG LA announced its AVC Patent Portfolio License, which the H.264 codec belongs to “will continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to end users (known as Internet Broadcast AVC Video) during the next License term from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015.”

This seems like good news. Being that YouTube, one of the most popular internet video sharing sites, uses the H.264 codec, I would image a lot of us would be classified as “end-users.” CNET suggests that this extension could help encourage Web sites to use it instead of rivals such as Ogg Theora, which isn’t encumbered by patents, or On2 Technologies’ VP7 or VP8.”

However, people are already starting to grumble. John Lilly, Mozilla’s Chief Executive, twittered, “And regarding that MPEG-LA announce: it’s good they did it, but they sort of had to. But it’s like 5 more years of free to lock you in 4ever.”

What do you think, is MPEG LA’s royalty-free extension good news, or bad?