• Venia Silente@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        Open is not the same as patent-free, the two things can coexist (and they do in the case of webp).

        It’s open to write the code, but in order to be authorized to use it you have to get a permit from Google. You can’t eg.: fork from Firefox and use their permit (as you implicitly could with patent-free). Plus, Google can rescind their patent grant at any point, which they are bound to do once they secure ownership of the internet.

            • hperrin@lemmy.ca
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              3 hours ago

              I didn’t say it was patent free, and the text doesn’t say “unless we say so”. It explicitly says the only way the patent grants can be revoked is if you enter patent litigation or enforcement regarding this code.

              If you or your agent or exclusive licensee institute or order or agree to the institution of patent litigation or any other patent enforcement activity against any entity (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that any of these implementations of WebM or any code incorporated within any of these implementations of WebM constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, or inducement of patent infringement, then any patent rights granted to you under this License for these implementations of WebM shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.

              That is still a problem, but what I was responding to:

              It’s open to write the code, but in order to be authorized to use it you have to get a permit from Google. You can’t eg.: fork from Firefox and use their permit (as you implicitly could with patent-free). Plus, Google can rescind their patent grant at any point, which they are bound to do once they secure ownership of the internet.

              is just wrong.

              I have no problem with calling out Google’s anticompetitive behaviors, even in this case, but don’t lie about it.

    • qaz@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Yes, but that is actually almost “incompatible with every app and website”

      • Venia Silente@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        A file format can not, by itself, be “incompatible” with a website. What matters is the browser, and Firefox at least is adding support (slowly), and they are the ones who matter ATM.

      • Venia Silente@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        It does, yes, but from what I gather it’s rather difficult to actually encode such an animated image compared to, say, a GIF. Display should work just fine.