Google acquired the VP8 codec with its developer ON2 in August 2009. VP8 was designed to be a royalty-free video codec by working around all established video compression patents - including the MPEG LA pool - and avoiding patented methods. It's a rare case of software development being deliberately guided by and constrained by patents. WebM is Google's name for the next evolution of the VP8 codec focused on web delivery of video.

WebM is a very good codec but if we don't demand capture devices and editing tools that support it then it will die and we'll be back in the clutches of MPEG LA, who says "you can't do video without violating our patents." MPEG LA doesn't just license their patent pool to codecs and hardware providers - they choose who they will license them to and at what prices, guiding the source of growth in modern video-enabled markets. Which was the original point.

Google can fight the good fight for progress for us, but there comes a point where we have to participate at the point of sale to assist in our own protection. Google is a business and can't guard our access to a codec we can freely use for our family videos forever without we lend a hand. Buy the cam or smartphone that supports VP8 or WebM.

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