MPEG LA: 12 companies own patents essential to Google's VP8 codec (ars technica)

Ars technica reports on "progress" in forming a WebM/VP8 patent pool. Twelve companies have submitted an unknown number of patents that MPEG LA (the MPEG licensing authority) has deemed essential to implementing Google's currently royalty-free video codec. "With so many companies submitting patents of their own to MPEG LA, formation of a patent pool becomes much more likely, and the chance that WebM will retain its royalty-free position shrinks accordingly. That isn't yet a foregone conclusion, however—though the companies have come forward and made initial submissions, they may decide that it's not worth forming a patent pool for some reason. Even if they do, the decision to enforce their patents against VP8 users is separate; MPEG LA doesn't enforce patents (it has sued companies, but for breach of contract, not patent infringement), and so it would be up to the individual members of the pool to take legal action against infringers."

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