Legal protection for collaboration is often facilitated via a Standards Setting or Standards Development Organization [SSO / SDO]. Three such organizations, with a record of involvement in the disciplines described here, are IEEE, SMPTE and the IETF.
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There is a new collaborative development process within the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers [SMPTE]. It’s termed a “Technical Specification”. This is a fast track path to the creation of business driven Technical Specifications and permits elevation to the more traditional, albeit more exacting standards process. This path pledges a rapid start, the necessary legal aegis for collaborative development, and the imprimatur of a well-established standards body. SMPTE offers a promising path.
There are some lesser known vehicles for collaborative development. Of particular note is the Joint Development Foundation.
Part of the Linux Foundation family, the JDF can provide a corporate and legal infrastructure to rapidly establish and operate lightweight collaborations to develop technical specifications, standards, and source code. JDF projects can then be taken to a larger standards organization when the collaboration achieves maturity.
JDF has sponsored the Alliance for Open Media. The Alliance has the distinction of sponsoring the mutual development of the AV1 Video Codec, a possible successor to H256/HVEC. Not to gratuitously name drop, but Apple, Broadcom, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Cisco, Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo, and many others are contributing members of the Alliance.
There will inevitably be patent holders that have rights that need to be secured. This is truly nothing new in the realm of standards. One of the tasks will be to secure Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory [FRAND] commitments from those holders. Many of these rights might be secured without compensation.
The conclusion here is that the only practical path forward to making meaningful cost saving in SVoD distribution is to engage the stakeholders with an appropriate Standards Organization and make it happen.
Hybrid VoD 