What strategic licensing decision cleared the path for Opus adoption into major infrastructure like WebRTC?
Answer
Making the reference implementation available under a liberal, royalty-free BSD license.
A major component of Opus's successful adoption, particularly its mandatory integration into standards like WebRTC, was the deliberate choice made by the contributors regarding licensing. By releasing the key elements, including the reference implementation, under a liberal, royalty-free Simplified BSD License, the developers eliminated the financial uncertainty and legal complications associated with patents that often hinder codec deployment. This commitment to making Opus common infrastructure, aligning with the Xiph.Org philosophy, ensured widespread, risk-free integration across fundamental internet services.
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