Google has been trying to develop its own global standard for web video with the WebM format that includes VP8 video codec. Steve Jobs suggested back in 2011 that VP8 is way too similar to the H.264 open standard with a small difference in Baseline Profile and expected that MPEG LA, the owner of H.264 would definitely go behind Google and sue them at some point of time. He even warned companies trying to adapt Google’s VP8 standard to be careful because there was every chance of it going down due to too many patent infringements.
The webM audio-video format that Google is trying to push uses around 64 granted patents and 22 pending patents from Nokia that are neither licensed to Google not is Nokia willing to do so in the future.
After the high adaption rate of H.264 the only major setback seen was that MPEG LA to make it a paid codec and start licensing it in the future due to which even Firefox held itself back form implementing it. But the company, MPEG LA, has reassured recently that H.264 will remain a free an open source codec throughout its life cycle. Mozilla started implementing the codecs in windows version of its browser already.
Despite combine efforts from various such sources to standardise H.264 across all platforms, Google’s since move of trying to build WebM and force people into adapting it is a huge setback for whatever developments that have happened till date. Google even announced drop of H.264 support for its popular browser, Chrome.
Nokia says that open and collaborative efforts for standardisation are in best interest of consumers, innovators and industry as a whole and not in the best interest of one particular company. Google has been trying to force the adoption of its proprietary technology even with no added advantages compared to the H.264 standards and continues to infringe upon Nokia’s intellectual property. Nokia has taken its tough stance and might officially file a case against google soon.
Source: Foss Patents