Slashdot linked to this Salon article which discusses MPEG-LA's licensing terms and how this opens the market up to cheaper (though less powerful) technologies...
Somewhat encouraging is this quote:
"At the end of the day, MPEG-LA is in the business of marketing a license," says Larry Horn, vice president of licensing and business development MPEG-LA. "If this technology goes totally unused, the patent holders lose out. We have an incentive to get it right."
