Thread: Playing mp3 files in Mac OS X

It SEEMS to say that you only pay if you develop *decoders*, not applications. I *think* you can develop applications that use MS-Windows built in MP3 codecs. You're not writing the decoder, so I don't think you pay royalties.

PC Software applications which incorporate mp3 / mp3PRO decoding (player, decoder) and software applications incorporating mp3 / mp3PRO encoding capabilities (encoder, ripper, recorder, jukebox).

But it says "Player" and "decoder".

(some freeware programs required the user to supply an encoder).

The impression I got was you don't have to pay anything if you are giving your software away for free, it is only if you are recieving money in exchange for a product where you are using either a player/decoder that you have written yourself or from a third party, as below
[EDIT] This has already been answered in a post hasn't it![/EDIT]

This patent-only license is needed in case the mp3 software is developed in-house or licensed from a third party.

I have to admit, they are not that clear on the exact details are they, and there are some somewhat glaring ommisions from the list of licensees, but if they do own the patent on MP3's then you would imagine you would have to pay a fee.

Dunno, I think we need a lawyer.

Hmmmm.... if you need to pay to write an encoder, how the heck does LAME make money, or even afford to be free?

well at first I thought the same thing, you would only have to pay royalties if you were 'selling' the application or obtaining some sort of profit from it but if that were true then NULLSOFT and some of the other companies wouldn't need a license. But I wonder, NULLSOFT makes a very small amount of cash from the ads on their site, I wonder if the money from the ads is considered profit from the application considering their only real application that most people go to see is winamp.

I don't know -_-

He's right, we do need a lawyer. Anyone majoring in law!?

-LC

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26893.html

At the moment, only commercial decoders are required to pay royalties. Hardware decoders are in this class, as are *non-freeware* software decoders.

They also are reserving the right to charge in the future for any kind of decoder should they choose to do so. Technically, they DO have the right to do this, they simply choose not to at this time.

You should be able, though, to fully legally use Windows' native MP3 decoders, even with a commercial app.

hehe, make MS pay, not us!

ah- thank you. But I am still a little concerned if you made a game (like the licensing page said) that plays MP3s as a source of media would you pay the fee, even if the game was free, like open source?

oh well, at least the main issue was cleared up, thanks!

-LC

It says on the Games licencing page that you don't have to pay a cent if you sell under 5k copies of your game I think (can't be bothered to read it again).

ok thats good, free is still free to make ^_^

thanks for clearing that up now I dont have to go trash some projects. (lol, like I would anyway!)

-LC