CoreAVC for Linux: DMCA by Mistake?

by Mike Gunderloy - May. 05, 2008Comments (0)

It was widely reported online that the CoreAVC for Linux project on Google Code was shutdown overnight - and indeed, as I write this the project's page redirects to a takedown page. However, the project, concerned with hooking up a commercial H.264 codec to various bits of Linux software, was apparently removed at the request of CoreCodec, which owns the commercial CoreAVC.

Fortunately, according to the company, the whole thing was just a big mistake. The company now says that the copyright claims in the takedown notice were erroneus, that they were really concerned about some reverse-engineering issues, and that they're now working with the CoreAVC for Linux maintainer to get a new version out.

So, all's well that ends well, right? Well, maybe. It's somewhat annoying that Google reacts in knee-jerk fashion to DMCA takedowns, rather than trying to judge them on their merits - but legally, they have very little choice. We can hope that the CoreCodec folks (and their lawyers) have learned from this episode, and won't abuse the process in the future. In the mean time, if you run an open source project that has any overlap with commercial code, you'd be wise to make sure you have your own backup copies.


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