1. Why Open Media Matters Rob Savoye Open Media Now

2. What is Open Media Now ? ● Colorado, US based 501(c)6 Non Profit ● Internationally distributed team ● Raises funds for open media related projects ● Working on coordinating the efforts of organizations working on open media ● Develop a software infrastructure utilizing free codecs, creation, server, and client ● Works with legal issues surrounding file formats http:/www.openmedianow.org

3. ● Gnash, Flash Player ● Cygnal, Media Server ● Ming, SWF Creation Supported Projects

4. Gnash Features ● Runs either standalone or as a browser plugin for Firefox, Konqueror, and others ● Supports the viewing of streaming video from popular video sharing sites like video.google.com or YouTube.comYouTube.com ● Supports patent free codecs as well as proprietary ones ● Uses OpenGL for rendering the graphics on the desktop, or AntiGrain (AGG) for embedded framebuffer only devices ● Better security to protect the users privacy ● Supports extending ActionScript by creating your own. You can write wrappers for any development library, and import them into the player

5. ● Available to stream or download without a fee ● Permanently available without DRM and available to share without restrictions ● Available in multiple formats that can be freely converted ● No legal issues Open Media Definition

6. It's not just big companies, we all create media. The files we create are ours, and these days present a historical record of our lives for future generations. If we create a file, we should be able to give copies to anyone we wish. Those copies should continue to be accessible. If we create a file, we shouldn't have to worry about violating the law We All Create Content

7. ● And sometimes you need it many years later ● Files my children created 15 years ago are almost in accessible with modern platforms ● Only their XFIG drawings still work 100% ● At NASA we had piles of files nobody could read anymore, but if somebody needed to, the old software and docmentation still existed and could be brought back to life. Data Often Never Goes Away

8. As other organizations keep data on us, that should also be kept in open format so it is accessible to use if we need it My little mountain town's government lost access to many of it's records because they were in a proprietary format, using ancient software from a company that no longer existed It's Not Just Us

9. ● Gnash is commonly used for streaming video, ie... YouTube ● GNU/Linux had no free flash players ● An inability to redistribute working codecs led to many people's disappointment ● Our tech support load went through the roof My Journey to Open Media

10. One Laptop Per Child Needed a redistributable player for Flash content Much educational software is written in Flash Buried in bug reports from the G1G1 program

11. ● If you play MP3s, you are violating the law in many countries ● If you create media files in any format but Vorbis, Theora, or Dirac, you are violating the law in many countries ● FOSS distributions drop the responsibility on you ! Do You Use FOSS ?

12. ● Similar issues as all software patents ● Per unit licensing costs ● Inability to redistribute ● Who really owns the patents ? ● DMCA Legal Issues

13. ● A codec is the software used to encode and decode audio and video ● Per unit licensing costs prohibit FOSS from redistributing ● Legal fuzziness makes it difficult to know what is allowed The Problem With Codecs

14. ● Some sub patents have expired ● Issue over which companies control the patents, licensing doesn't actually solve the problem ● Thomson Consmer Electronics, $5 per unit for codec, $1.25 for decoder, or 2% of related revenue ● Alcatel-Lucent sues Microsoft, even though they licensed the patents from Fraunhofer MP3 Problems

15. ● Most codecs utiltize many of the same patents ● Many codecs have similar licensing issues ● Companies are still creating new codecs It's Not Just About MP3

16. ● Research prior art on codecs ● Research alternate algorithms ● Clear up FUD on patent free codecs ● Attempt to negotiate fair licensing terms for free software ● Protect open media developers from patents ● Work on legal implementations and workarounds What To Do About It

17. ● Sued over Jboss's ”Hibernate” which offers server side database support ● After going back and forth, it was determined Redhat hadn't infringed anything ● Upstream developers receive a perpetual, fully paid- up, royalty-free, irrevocable worldwide license to the patents Firestar/Dataterm http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/06/11/red-hat-puts-patent-issue-to-rest/

18. ● Use patent free codecs whenever possible ● Support free software projects working on open media ● No pain, no gain... ● Lobby your government officials ● Public distaste for DRM has gotten companies to drop DRM What You Can Do

19. Wrap up ● Use open formats, your children and future archeologists will love you ● Gaining control of your data is more important than the free cost of free software ● The time is now to work towards open media solututions ● Please support our campaign to work towards solutions for open media, community support is important http:/www.openmedianow.org