Google Creates WebM Patent Sharing Group to Counter MPEG LA Threat

Google is taking steps in protecting the freedom of its WebM project, the open source web video format. The company is offering the technology under an open license, but there are threats of a patent pool being formed which would try to get companies using WebM to pay for a license.

Google has now created the WebM Community Cross-License (CCL) which has members automatically license patents related to the video technology to each other for free.

Essentially, it means that members have no reason to fear a patent lawsuit from any of the other organizations and companies that joined the group.

"We are pleased to now offer another way to contribute, through a licensing initiative that allows the community to help further support the WebM Project," Matt Frost, Senior Business Product Manager for the WebM Project, announced.

"Google, Matroska and the Xiph.Org Foundation make the components of WebM openly available on royalty-free terms," he announced.

"Today we're announcing the formation of the WebM Community Cross-License (CCL) initiative with 17 founding members. Organizations that join the CCL agree to license patents they may have that are essential to WebM technologies to other members of the CCL," he added.

16 other companies, besides Google, have joined the initiative. While some partners are quite obvious, Mozilla, Opera, the Xiph.org foundation, others are more interesting.

Google was able to use its clout to get companies like Samsung, LG, Cisco, Texas Instruments and others to join the CCL. What's more, Google says it's in talks with others to join as well.

The move is a strategic and defensive one. The MPEG LA is looking at creating a patent pool, similar to the one it has for the competing H.264 codec, in which companies with patents that may relate to WebM can band together to demand compensation for anyone using the technology.

Google's initiative is similar, but rather than providing their patents for license money, companies get protection from lawsuits. What's more, with so many on board, an attempt to go after a company using WebM could backfire as members of the CCL would bring their own patent arsenal and file lawsuits of their own.