Two years later, I am still not sure if it is legal here in Norway
-to use or publish a video in H.264 or MPEG4 format edited by the
-commercially licensed video editors, without limiting the use to
-create "personal" or "non-commercial" videos or get a license
-agreement with MPEG LA. If one
-want to publish and broadcast video in a non-personal or commercial
-setting, it might be that those tools can not be used, or that video
-format can not be used, without breaking their copyright license. I
-am not sure.
-Back
-then, I found that the copyright license terms for Adobe Premiere
-and Apple Final Cut Pro both specified that one could not use the
-program to produce anything else without a patent license from MPEG
-LA. The issue is not limited to those two products, though. Other
-much used products like those from Avid and Sorenson Media have terms
-of use are similar to those from Adobe and Apple. The complicating
-factor making me unsure if those terms have effect in Norway or not is
-that the patents in question are not valid in Norway, but copyright
-licenses are.
-
-
These are the terms for Avid Artist Suite, according to their
-published
-end user
-license
-text (converted to lower case text for easier reading):
-
-
-18.2. MPEG-4. MPEG-4 technology may be included with the
-software. MPEG LA, L.L.C. requires this notice:
-
-This product is licensed under the MPEG-4 visual patent portfolio
-license for the personal and non-commercial use of a consumer for (i)
-encoding video in compliance with the MPEG-4 visual standard (âMPEG-4
-videoâ) and/or (ii) decoding MPEG-4 video that was encoded by a
-consumer engaged in a personal and non-commercial activity and/or was
-obtained from a video provider licensed by MPEG LA to provide MPEG-4
-video. No license is granted or shall be implied for any other
-use. Additional information including that relating to promotional,
-internal and commercial uses and licensing may be obtained from MPEG
-LA, LLC. See http://www.mpegla.com. This product is licensed under
-the MPEG-4 systems patent portfolio license for encoding in compliance
-with the MPEG-4 systems standard, except that an additional license
-and payment of royalties are necessary for encoding in connection with
-(i) data stored or replicated in physical media which is paid for on a
-title by title basis and/or (ii) data which is paid for on a title by
-title basis and is transmitted to an end user for permanent storage
-and/or use, such additional license may be obtained from MPEG LA,
-LLC. See http://www.mpegla.com for additional details.
-
-18.3. H.264/AVC. H.264/AVC technology may be included with the
-software. MPEG LA, L.L.C. requires this notice:
-
-This product is licensed under the AVC patent portfolio license for
-the personal use of a consumer or other uses in which it does not
-receive remuneration to (i) encode video in compliance with the AVC
-standard (âAVC videoâ) and/or (ii) decode AVC video that was encoded
-by a consumer engaged in a personal activity and/or was obtained from
-a video provider licensed to provide AVC video. No license is granted
-or shall be implied for any other use. Additional information may be
-obtained from MPEG LA, L.L.C. See http://www.mpegla.com.
-
-
-
Note the requirement that the videos created can only be used for
-personal or non-commercial purposes.
-
-
The Sorenson Media software have
-similar terms:
-
-
-
-With respect to a license from Sorenson pertaining to MPEG-4 Video
-Decoders and/or Encoders: Any such product is licensed under the
-MPEG-4 visual patent portfolio license for the personal and
-non-commercial use of a consumer for (i) encoding video in compliance
-with the MPEG-4 visual standard (âMPEG-4 videoâ) and/or (ii) decoding
-MPEG-4 video that was encoded by a consumer engaged in a personal and
-non-commercial activity and/or was obtained from a video provider
-licensed by MPEG LA to provide MPEG-4 video. No license is granted or
-shall be implied for any other use. Additional information including
-that relating to promotional, internal and commercial uses and
-licensing may be obtained from MPEG LA, LLC. See
-http://www.mpegla.com.
-
-With respect to a license from Sorenson pertaining to MPEG-4
-Consumer Recorded Data Encoder, MPEG-4 Systems Internet Data Encoder,
-MPEG-4 Mobile Data Encoder, and/or MPEG-4 Unique Use Encoder: Any such
-product is licensed under the MPEG-4 systems patent portfolio license
-for encoding in compliance with the MPEG-4 systems standard, except
-that an additional license and payment of royalties are necessary for
-encoding in connection with (i) data stored or replicated in physical
-media which is paid for on a title by title basis and/or (ii) data
-which is paid for on a title by title basis and is transmitted to an
-end user for permanent storage and/or use. Such additional license may
-be obtained from MPEG LA, LLC. See http://www.mpegla.com for
-additional details.
-
-
-
-
Some free software like
-Handbrake and
-FFMPEG uses GPL/LGPL licenses and do
-not have any such terms included, so for those, there is no
-requirement to limit the use to personal and non-commercial.
-