iLBC license issue

[Daniel Pocock]

Jan Janak wrote:

>Hello,
>
>kphone (and maybe other packages) contain iLBC (internet Low Bitrate Codec)
>library. This library has been published as part of RFC3951 by the IETF.
>
>The copyright owner of that code is Global IP Sound and the license of the
>code is not GPL compatible. The license requires that derived work must
>be backwards compatible with the original specification. This is more
>restrictive than GPL.
>
>I am wondering whether the people on the list are aware of this ? The
>copyright file in kphone package says that it is released under the terms of
>GPL, but I wonder if this is true when iLBC is included ? Shouldn't kphone
>be moved in non-free ?
>
>http://www.ilbcfreeware.org/documentation/gips_iLBClicense.pdf
>
>  
>
Can iLBC be split into a separate package?

I have been thinking of putting together a common codec API for VoIP 
applications, to

a) try and defuse the myriad licensing issues that seem to arise 
whenever codecs are discussed (especially my now notorious patch for 
Asterisk).
b) allow all applications to use any codec, thus improving the reach of 
open source apps and reducing development time
c) potentially allow (yucky) commercially licensed codecs to be shared 
across multiple applications, CPUs and even distinct hosts within an 
enterprise, so end users don't end up paying for the same codec 3 or 4 
times over

The API would be licensed under something unrestrictive like Vocal, the 
apps built on the API could be GPL or Vocal, and the end user could then 
dynamically choose codecs regardless of license.

How do people feel about this idea, and would Debian be a good place for 
it to start?

>  Jan.
>
>
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>  
>