VLC media player is a universal, free and open-source, cross-platform media playback and streaming application. This presentation will give an overview of the VideoLAN project, the history behind VideoLAN and VLC, and the various legal issues we face. VLC media player is published by VideoLAN, a French non-profit organization, and is mostly developed by volunteers in their spare time. VideoLAN’s additional products include the well-known H.264 encoder x264, specialized media streaming applications and a diverse set of libraries to support DVD and BR playback on all major operating systems. A bit of history of the VideoLAN project will be explained too. VLC media player supports MS Windows, OS/2, Solaris, GNU/Linux, BSD and Mac OS X on the desktop; and Android, iOS and WinRT mobile operating systems. The application is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 and later, based upon a portable library licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License. The number of users of VLC is believed to be more than 100 million users worldwide, on all platforms.

1. VideoLAN
VideoLAN & VLC
how to maintain a free project targeted by lobbyists
Jean-Baptiste Kempf
jeudi 30 octobre 2014

3. Ecole Centrale Paris

4. VideoLAN
Volunteers
VLC

5. The Cone

6. 900 000 per day
More than 1.5B
over VLC life time
1 every 6 Mac
Top 15 Windows
Most used French
software

7. VLC

11. VLC
Le « poil à gratter »
DRMs
➣ Playback of DVDs, Blu-Rays
➣ DVB-CSA
➣ Hadopi
Patents
➢ MPEG-LA
➢ Dolby, DTS
Annoying
➢ Rarely invited to conferences
➢ French pouvoirs publics (lol)
30 oct. 2014 Jean-Baptiste Kempf 11

12. DRMs
DRM
➢ Broken by design
➢ Control of the distribution
➢ Pressure
➢ Playback → open the DRM
DVD
➢ libdvdcss
➢ EUCD / DADVSI
➢ Arrêt du conseil d'État
➢ ARMT
30 oct. 2014 Jean-Baptiste Kempf 12

13. VideoLAN et HADOPI

14. Hadopi
DRM regulator in France
➢ ARMT
➢ Has no idea what they speak about
Different kind of saisines
➢ Contentieux one specific DRM
➢ Generic question about DRM law and application
French law
➢ You can circumvent DRM, in order to achieve interoperability,
without limiting the authors rights
30 oct. 2014 Jean-Baptiste Kempf 14

15. Hadopi Questions
Request of a generic Hadopi saisine :
● What are the conditions to share the keys ?
● What are the conditions that can be imposed on us by
copyright holders (HDCP) ?
● Can we distribute :
– Source code of DRM library?
– Static build of DRM library in a player?
– Shared object of DRM library ?
– Keys ?

16. Hadopi Answer
● 17 months to get an answer
– Legal 3 months
– Pressure with public question in Assemblée Nationale and press
– Vague meetings and repeated lies about delays
● The answers are :
– For the keys, you should ask Sony, and create a contentieux
– Keys are not part of the source code
– …
– No answer on any of the important questions asked
● Back meetings with AACS-LA, Sony
– Lies and document not shared

17. Codecs
Codecs
– Heavily patented
● Including base math
● Very expensive to licence
● Numerous patents → Cartel of exchange
– Very aggressive
● Dolby, DTS
● MPEG-LA
– Not valid in France (EU)!

18. Dolby Lobby
● Used everywhere
– Dolby Digital
● DVD, Blu-ray, TNT
– Dolby-E
● Dolby Digital (AC-3)
– DVB and ATSC spec
– ETSI
– is MANDATED by the CSA
● Heavily Lobbied
– E-AC3 in France, thanks to Canal+ (reduced fees from Dolby)
– All profesional products have Dolby-E

19. Dolby Scam
The Dolby Scam
● One licence only
– IP : codec implementation, patents, certification, logo
● No way to license only the patents
– 20 years !
– Refusal to share patents list
– No respect of DVB or ETSI obligations
● Use of DMCA and LCEN
– Because IP !
● Everyone is scared
– Except the CSA :)

20. Thank You
Jean-Baptiste Kempf
jb@videolan.org