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If I use the audio decoding libraries included in iPhoneOS (ex. AVAudioPlayer). Do I still have to pay for a license from Thomson, or VIA Licensing to legally decode AAC or MP3 files in my app?

Edit:

I was unable to find an exact answer from ADC(they did not know), and I am also curious about audio library's on other platforms (Windows, Mac, Android...) So I am adding a bounty to this question.

Skyler Saleh
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  • Are you using those libraries in your app (are they shipping within your app's package) or are you using the libraries on a phone that a user has bought. The libs on the users phone have already been sold btw, so fees have already been paid by the user (and not apple as it was written in some questions). – hakre May 15 '11 at 17:41
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    For AAC, you don't need an additional license when sticking with the integrated encoder/decoder. See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21912715/when-writing-an-iphone-app-that-plays-aac-encoded-audio-files-do-i-need-to-obta for details. For MP3, the licensing scheme is different and more complex. – Daniel S. Feb 20 '14 at 16:03

5 Answers5

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No you do not. Apple already pays licensing fees in proportion to the number of devices they sell, for all codecs they support. As long as you use the public API:s that Apple provide your fees are covered.

If you where to bundle your own decoding software in your application, only then would you need to pay licenses, and in proportion to the number of copies to distribute.

Just don't, the decoders Apple provide are not only free of charge to use, they are hardware accelerated for better performance, and less battery consumption.

PeyloW
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I don't believe so. Apple has already coughed up that dough to include the libraries in the iPhone base system.

Graham Perks
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I'm afraid the only definitive answer would come from a court of law. The patent-holders will cheerfully answer "yes" to almost any question that begins with "should I be paying royalties," and asking anyone else is more or less a request for legal advice.

I also suspect very strongly that Apple has not obtained a blanket AAC/MP3 patent license on behalf of all iOS developers – I think we'd have heard about that.

Scott Forbes
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  • I am not sure how correct this answer is, but I simply can not risk it with the cost of those fees. – Skyler Saleh May 16 '11 at 06:45
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    In my not-an-expert, how-I-think-the-law-ought-to-work opinion, you could reasonably argue that your code doesn't contain an AAC or MP3 decoder – you're just calling Apple's API, they're the ones who wrote the decoder, and they've already paid the license fee. But ultimately the question is whether that argument holds up in court... and that's a question for a patent lawyer, not an army of developers on Stack Overflow. :-) – Scott Forbes May 16 '11 at 07:40
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No. If your software does not ship with the decoders included, - but merely calls on the decoders that were "native" to the device, then it is not necessary for you to obtain a separate patent license in respect of those decoders. The doctrine of patent exhaustion provides that after the patented invention is manufactured and sold by a licensee of that patent, - the patent owner no longer controls how that licensed product is used. This enables app developers to piggy-back on the rights cleared by Apple. Matt

Matt Eccles
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    Good answer, but this sort of topic could use some links substantiating your claims. Cheers! – Dan J Oct 24 '12 at 23:47
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The AAC format is patent encumbered see fees

The MP3 (full name is MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format is patent encumbered as well. I read somewhere that Linux can not play mp3 due to this patent limitation.

But there is also the opinion that MP3 patent holders will not enforce any fees from decoders (like mp3 players)

the good book that i can suggest is "Mark Pilgrim - HTML5 Up and Running 2010". It is not about iPhone but it covers the audio/video formats in first precision.

Pavlonator
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