Finally, an Open Source MPEG-4 solution in Java!

MediaFrame (mediaframe.org), open streaming media
From the site:
Open source streaming media in Java
MediaFrame is an Open Source streaming media platform in Java which provides a fast, easy to implement and extremely small applet that enables over 97% (AdShadow 2002-03) of web users to view your audio/video content without having to rely on external player applications or bulky plug-ins. MediaFrame does not require special servers, software or programming knowledge (feature list).

Acacia wants to bleed the internet dry

Acacia to Acquire Patent Portfolios
Branching out on from their Streaming patents to just about everything else.
From the article: Among the acquired patents are those covering technology related to broadcast equipment, credit card receipt processing, peer to peer network communications, spreadsheet programs, datamatrix bar codes and image resolution or enhancements.