14 DAY TRIAL // The MP3 decoding patent is one those things that seems pretty harmless and present in pretty much any device around us, but it's actually something that generates tons of money per unit for Fraunhofer and Thompson. Linux distributions need to offer this feature and it means integrating a proprietary solution, although there is some hope now that the patent seems to have expired.
Ubuntu, for example, can't bundle stuff like Flash or MP3 related items, but it does provide this functionality after the user downloads something called Restricted Extras. It's a complicated legal situation, but it might also have something to do with the fact that Ubuntu is offered free of charge and technically Canonical doesn't make any money off it.
Things get even more complicated if you check the official website for MP3. There it's clearly stated that everyone needs to pay for the right to use MP3 decoding, even if it's just a simple music player. In any case, the fact that the decoding MP3 patent is expiring would be good news for Linux distribution. Or is it?
Patents are complicated
Like all legal stuff regarding patents, it's extremely difficult to see what the expiration date for a patent is. There are a lot of opinions, but nothing really concrete. For example, Bryan Quigley says that MP3 decoding is now patent free in the US and that it could be possible to integrate it by default in Linux distros and Ubuntu.
The problem is that while I was searching for more details and information about this matter, I found some articles dating all the way back to 2007 and 2011 and saying about the same thing, MP3 patents expiring. It's still unclear whether something has really changed with MP3 decoding, but some of the distros that can afford lawyers will probably get on this ASAP.