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licensing: replace FFmpeg LGPL/GPL execution boundary #513

Description

@seonghobae

Commercial-policy defect

codec-carver currently makes ffmpeg/ffprobe part of the required executable conversion/probing boundary. ContextualWisdomLab's inbound policy does not accept GPL/LGPL/AGPL components as an inbound default for the commercial ecosystem.

Exact evidence

Repository evidence on protected main:

  • root README requires ffmpeg/ffprobe on PATH for the primary CLI and documents direct conversion/silence-splitting/metadata operations around FFmpeg;
  • the advanced library path also resolves approved fixed-system ffmpeg/ffprobe executables and treats those child processes as runtime authority;
  • package metadata describes the product as FLAC/Opus carving but does not provide a permissively licensed in-repository codec implementation replacing that external boundary.

Upstream FFmpeg's current official legal page states that FFmpeg is licensed LGPL v2.1-or-later by default and becomes GPL v2-or-later when GPL-covered optional parts are enabled; FFmpeg is not offered under an alternate proprietary/commercial license. That is incompatible with this organization's stated inbound baseline even though LGPL/GPL can permit commercial activity under their own conditions.

Required outcome

Replace or remove the FFmpeg/FFprobe authority from the commercially supported product path without weakening codec correctness, metadata preservation, duration/size caps, splitting, probing, security, or real-audio acceptance.

Acceptance must include:

  1. a commercially permitted, organization-approved codec/probe implementation or service boundary with exact license provenance (prefer Apache-2.0/MIT/BSD-class permissive licensing);
  2. equivalent or stronger support for the product's required FLAC/Opus and any intentionally retained AAC/MP3 behavior, metadata preservation, duration/size admission, silence-aware splitting, probing, and safe subprocess/runtime boundaries;
  3. removal of FFmpeg/FFprobe from customer installation/README recommendations, runtime lookup/allowlists, Docker/build inputs, tests, operability/security docs, and supply-chain inventories where applicable;
  4. realistic audio fixtures and output validation against the current functional contract before declaring equivalence;
  5. explicit provenance/NOTICE handling for the replacement.

Do not solve this by relying on a particular LGPL-only FFmpeg build, moving FFmpeg to another container/process, suppressing license inventory, or treating process isolation as an exception to the organization policy. Until this closes, the package metadata's MIT grant can describe ContextualWisdomLab-owned source, but the current FFmpeg-backed execution path must not be represented as satisfying the commercial inbound-license baseline.

Activity

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    bugSomething isn't workingpriority: highHigh-priority or P1 workstatus: blockedBlocked by conflict, dependency, or required prerequisitetype: bugDefect or incorrect behavior

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