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The MP3 patent debacle


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:17:27 -0500



Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: February 23, 2007 4:36:44 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: The MP3 patent debacle

I presume there are already enough reports on the $1.5e9 that Microsoft has to pay Alcatel. Apparently I underestimated the importance of ring tones.



IANAL but I would’ve thought that MP3 had to describe something but people use MP3 as a synonym for digital music. Its real value is in extreme compression – the kind that seemed necessary when 2400bps was considered a high speed connection. Today we have the tragedy of continuing of paying for the use of a brand that is not directly associated with the value of the compression scheme it stands for and that scheme itself distorts the music.



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