[IP] The MP3 patent debacle

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

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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