MobileVLCKit for iOS vs MPEG LA

[pmieszal]

Hi!

I'm developing commercial app with rtsp streaming, and would really like to use MobileVLCKit to cover that. I'm kind of noobie in terms of video and streaming.
From my research I found out that if my app is decoding H.264, I'm supposed to acquire license from MPEG LA. I tried to find out if MobileVLCKit is decoding H.264 using some licensed coder (like x264), so I downloaded sources and perform local build. For iOS build sources I see that in libavcodec (from FFmpeg lib) the only (I think) codec used, is native iOS VideoToolbox, but, as I said, I have no experience in video libraries.

So my question: do MobileVLCKit implements in any kind MPEG LA license, or its based only on native VideoToolbox library?

[focusmusic]

Hi!

I'm developing commercial app with rtsp streaming, and would really like to use MobileVLCKit to cover that. I'm kind of noobie in terms of video and streaming.
From my research I found out that if my app is decoding H.264, I'm supposed to acquire license from MPEG LA. I tried to find out if MobileVLCKit is decoding H.264 using some licensed coder (like x264), so I downloaded sources and perform local build. For iOS build sources I see that in libavcodec (from FFmpeg lib) the only (I think) codec used, is native iOS VideoToolbox, but, as I said, I have no experience in video libraries.

So my question: do MobileVLCKit implements in any kind MPEG LA license, or its based only on native VideoToolbox library?

I think this thread may be helpful for your problem...

https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=139914

[pmieszal]

I think this thread may be helpful for your problem...

https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=139914

Hi, I saw this thread. Before I post mine, I made the best research I could, but sadly this thread is not answering my concern about MPEG LA.

[fkuehne]

Well, this is a forum on the web, so no reliable source to ask for legal advise, especially regarding patent law.

Starting on iOS 9, VLC uses the hardware decoder included in modern iOS devices (so 64bit only) for H264 and if available H265. The same applies to mp3 and AAC audio decoding. According to Western legislation (US-American, EU), you may not be charged for the same patents twice and since the user already paid for the hardware decoders when purchasing the iOS device, there is no legal way for clients app using it to be required to pay a second time.

Generally, we don't pay for licenses at VLC for any codecs included, but this is mostly because we are distributing from Europe.