Editing Xiph.Org Foundation (section)

{{Short description|Nonprofit multimedia format organization}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} 
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox organization
| image           = Xiph.Org Foundation logo.svg
| caption         = 
| founder         = [[Chris Montgomery|Christopher Montgomery]]
| type            = [[501(c)(3)]]
| tax_id          = 
| registration_id =
| founded_date    = {{Start date and age|1994}}
| location        = [[Somerville, Massachusetts]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| coordinates     = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LON|display=inline,title}} -->
| origins         = 
| key_people      = [[Chris Montgomery|Christopher Montgomery]], [[Jack Moffitt (computer scientist)|Jack Moffitt]], Ralph Giles ([[Theora]]), Jean-Marc Valin ([[Speex]], [[CELT]], [[Opus (audio format)|Opus]]),<ref>Xiph.Org [http://people.xiph.org/~jm/  people.xiph.org - personal webspace of the xiphs - Jean-Marc Valin], Retrieved 2009-09-11</ref> Josh Coalson ([[FLAC]]), Michael Smith, Timothy B. Terriberry<ref>{{cite web  |author=Timothy B. Terriberry  |title=people.xiph.org - Timothy B. Terriberry, Ph.D.   |publisher=Xiph.Org   |year=2009   |url=http://people.xiph.org/~tterribe/index.html |access-date=2009-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web  |title=Summer of Code Mentoring   |publisher=Xiph.Org   |year=2009   |url=http://wiki.xiph.org/Summer_of_Code_Mentoring#What_criteria_did_you_use_to_select_these_individuals_as_mentors.3F_Please_be_as_specific_as_possible.   |access-date=2009-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web  |title=Minutes of the Xiph.org Monthly Meeting for May 2003   |date=2003-05-10   |url=http://www.xiph.org/minutes/2003/may/   |access-date=2009-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web  |title=Minutes of the Xiph.org Monthly Meeting for September 2003   |publisher=Xiph.Org   |date=2003-09-16   |url=http://www.xiph.org/minutes/2003/september/ |access-date=2009-09-11 }}</ref>
| area_served     = Worldwide
| products        = [[Free software|Free]] [[multimedia]] formats, libraries, and streaming software
| services        = 
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| num_volunteers  = 
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| homepage        = {{URL|https://xiph.org}}
| dissolved       = 
| footnotes       = 
}}

The '''Xiph.Org Foundation''' is a [[nonprofit organization]] that produces [[free software|free]] [[multimedia]] formats and software tools. It focuses on the [[Ogg]] family of formats, the most successful of which has been [[Vorbis]], an open and freely licensed audio format and [[codec]] designed to compete with the patented [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]], [[MP3]] and [[Advanced audio coding|AAC]]. As of 2013, development work  was focused on [[Daala]], an open and patent-free video format and codec designed to compete with [[VP9]] and the patented [[High Efficiency Video Coding]].

In addition to its in-house development work, the foundation has also brought several already-existing but complementary [[free software]] projects under its aegis, most of which have a separate, active group of developers. These include [[Speex]], an audio codec designed for speech, and [[Free Lossless Audio Codec|FLAC]], a lossless audio codec.

The Xiph.Org Foundation has criticized [[Microsoft]] and the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] for their lack of openness.<ref name="XiphAbout">{{cite web |title=About |url=http://xiph.org/about |access-date=2011-03-05 |website=xiph.org |publisher=}}</ref> They state that if companies like Microsoft had owned [[Software patent|patents]] on the Internet, then other companies would have tried to compete, and "The Net, as designed by warring corporate entities, would be a battleground of incompatible and expensive 'standards' had it actually survived at all." They also criticize the RIAA for their support of projects such as the [[Secure Digital Music Initiative]].

In 2008, the [[Free Software Foundation]] listed the Xiph.Org projects as [[High Priority Free Software Projects#High priority projects|High Priority Free Software Projects]].<ref name="FSFPriority">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html
|title=High Priority Free Software Projects
|publisher=Free Software Foundation
|access-date=2008-08-25
}}
</ref>