Editing MPEG-4 (section)

==Licensing==
{{See|MPEG-4 Part 2#Patent holders}}

MPEG-4 contains patented technologies, the use of which requires licensing in countries that acknowledge [[software patent|software algorithm patents]]. Over two dozen companies claim to have patents covering MPEG-4. [[MPEG LA]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4V/Pages/Intro.aspx |title=MPEG Licensing Authority – MPEG-4 Visual: Introduction |access-date=2011-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626135353/http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4V/Pages/Intro.aspx |archive-date=2018-06-26 |url-status=dead}}</ref> licenses patents required for MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual from a wide range of companies (audio is licensed separately) and lists all of its licensors and licensees on the site. New licenses for MPEG-4 System patents are under development<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4S/Pages/Intro.aspx |title=MPEG Licensing Authority – MPEG-4 Systems: Introduction |access-date=2011-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122184315/http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4S/Pages/Intro.aspx |archive-date=2011-01-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and no new licenses are being offered while holders of its old MPEG-4 Systems license are still covered under the terms of that license for the patents listed.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101121025049/http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4S/Pages/PatentList.aspx MPEG LA&nbsp;– Patent List]</ref>

The majority of patents used for the MPEG-4 Visual format are held by three Japanese companies: [[Mitsubishi Electric]] (255 patents), [[Hitachi]] (206 patents), and [[Panasonic]] (200 patents).