“Thanks to Fluendo, Linux and Solaris users on a variety of
processor architectures can now purchase playback support for
patent-encumbered audio and video formats. Similar support from
free alternatives, whether they rely on copying Windows DLLs or use
original code, all violate existing patent law. The mere existence
of Fluendo’s plugins needles a bevy of critics, but Fluendo is
prepared to answer them all. And in an ironic twist, sales of these
decoders for non-free formats are funding the development of free
alternatives.“The Fluendo Web Shop, launched earlier this month, offers
playback components for the MP3, Dolby AC3, and Windows Media Audio
(WMA) audio formats; the MPEG2, MPEG4 Part 2 (better known as
DivX), and Windows Media Video (WMV) video formats; the Windows
Media streaming protocol (MMS); and the various container formats
associated with each…”