The licensing of the format/it’s original implementation. Like how an emulator can be open source and FOSS licensed and be able to run proprietary games.
The WAV format never had a licence.
It was a trade secret (a rather half-assed one, but whatever).
To be a “proprietary”, a file format needs to either be secret (in part or in whole) or require a licence.
WAV satisfies neither of those criteria.
It is not proprietary.
It would be fair to say that it was proprietary up until it was reverse engineered, but that doesn’t apply today.
Every part of it is completely specified, openly and without any licensing or legal restrictions.
It’s an open format.
What makes it proprietary if it is documented and free to use?
The licensing of the format/it’s original implementation. Like how an emulator can be open source and FOSS licensed and be able to run proprietary games.
The WAV format never had a licence. It was a trade secret (a rather half-assed one, but whatever).
To be a “proprietary”, a file format needs to either be secret (in part or in whole) or require a licence. WAV satisfies neither of those criteria. It is not proprietary.
It would be fair to say that it was proprietary up until it was reverse engineered, but that doesn’t apply today. Every part of it is completely specified, openly and without any licensing or legal restrictions. It’s an open format.