XviD open source MPEG-4 video codec development stopped, Sigma Designs Accused of Copyright Infringement.

[JohnV]

XViD Development stopped, Sigma Designs Accused of Copyright Infringement!

http://www.xvid.org/

"2002/08/22 - The XVID development team has made a unanimous decision to cease project development. We will return when Sigma Designs' stops infringing the copyrights of XVID authors. As some of you had already assumed, Sigma Designs' REALmagic MPEG-4 Video Codec software includes large amounts of XVID project code. Since Sigma Designs' refuses to comply with the terms of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) and moreover claims sole ownership of the REALmagic MPEG-4 Video Codec software, Sigma Designs' is violating the GNU General Public License and copyright law.

We have been in contact with Sigma Designs' since July and were hopeful that this matter would be settled quietly. Their refusal to cooperate has forced us to publicly request Sigma Designs' to comply with the terms of the GNU GPL, or immediately cease REALmagic MPEG-4 Video Codec distribution. Feel free to ask Sigma Designs' for the REALmagic MPEG-4 Video Codec source code, they are obliged to provide you a copy. The official press release and a line-by-line code comparison of the REALmagic and XVID binaries are available for download below.

Our decision to publicly accuse Sigma Designs' and halt XVID development was difficult to make, please respect it. We simply do not believe XVID development should continue under the current circumstances. The XVID development team would like to thank all of our visitors and supporters for all your help and encouraging comments in the past. You really made XVID development a lot of fun!

Best wishes to you all!
The XVID team
"
XViD.org Press release:
XVID TEAM REQUESTS SIGMA DESIGNS' TO HALT COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
http://www.xvid.org/press/press-20020822-en.html

 

[Codewiz]

If you look at the disassembled code it is crazy how much sigma designs didn't change crap. They could have at least tried to change it somewhat but they pretty much took it line for line from XviD. That is just horrible.

 

[AT]

Sigma to release source code.

Fortunately it seems that XVID actions worked.

 

[Codewiz]

That pisses me off. Sigma acts like they did it to help the open source community and to help make it better. Such BS. They did it because their hand was forced. I will never buy another sigma designs piece of hardware again......