XviD Development Stopped due to code stealing by Sigma Designs

**admin** · 23 Aug 2002, 11:37 AM

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.

More on the Official XviD Site

Leo_C · 23 Aug 2002, 01:21 PM

Thats a real shame -

I was going to buy one of their snazzy mpeg-4 decoder boards...

But I don't feel so inclined anymore...

Lets hope it's all a big misunderstanding...?

Leo

edit:
link

Looks like they changed their minds? I hope so...

**admin** · 23 Aug 2002, 07:56 PM

It appears that Sigma Designs may be backing down, and are planning to do the right thing and release the source code for their MPEG-4 codec (since it uses GPLed code, the GPL says that its source code must be released as well).

Let hope for a speedy resolution of this problem, so XviD developement can resume again.

**admin** · 23 Aug 2002, 08:23 PM

And it seems that Sigma Design's Xcard is not DivX compatible after all, and they are not cooperating with DivX Networks either

Batman · 24 Aug 2002, 01:10 AM

Recently a slew of mpeg 4 codecs are in the work or have been released, xvid shows great promise. Its sad to see companies "stealing" from open source projects. Downloading movies, games, etc... is considered "brazen copyright theft" by movie studies and the like, with severe penalties. Sigma designs should also face the same treatment. I hope to see development on xvid resumed and Sigma do the right thing

**admin** · 25 Aug 2002, 03:17 PM

Sigma Designs explains why open-source code was used :

http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products...ideo_codec.htm

23 Aug 2002, 11:37 AM	#1
admin Administrator Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 5,182	XviD Development Stopped due to code stealing by Sigma Designs 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. More on the Official XviD Site __________________ Visit Digital Digest and dvdloc8.com, My Blog

23 Aug 2002, 01:21 PM	#2
Leo_C Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glasgow, UK Posts: 24	Thats a real shame - I was going to buy one of their snazzy mpeg-4 decoder boards... But I don't feel so inclined anymore... Lets hope it's all a big misunderstanding...? Leo edit: link Looks like they changed their minds? I hope so... Last edited by Leo_C; 23 Aug 2002 at 01:24 PM

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23 Aug 2002, 07:56 PM	#3
admin Administrator Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 5,182	It appears that Sigma Designs may be backing down, and are planning to do the right thing and release the source code for their MPEG-4 codec (since it uses GPLed code, the GPL says that its source code must be released as well). Let hope for a speedy resolution of this problem, so XviD developement can resume again.

23 Aug 2002, 08:23 PM	#4
admin Administrator Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 5,182	And it seems that Sigma Design's Xcard is not DivX compatible after all, and they are not cooperating with DivX Networks either

24 Aug 2002, 01:10 AM	#5
Batman Lord of Digital Video Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Gotham City Posts: 2,317	Recently a slew of mpeg 4 codecs are in the work or have been released, xvid shows great promise. Its sad to see companies "stealing" from open source projects. Downloading movies, games, etc... is considered "brazen copyright theft" by movie studies and the like, with severe penalties. Sigma designs should also face the same treatment. I hope to see development on xvid resumed and Sigma do the right thing

25 Aug 2002, 03:17 PM	#6
admin Administrator Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 5,182	Sigma Designs explains why open-source code was used : http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products...ideo_codec.htm

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