MPEG LA Further Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc(TM) Patents; Hybrid Disc and Blu-ray Disc(TM) Portions of DVB-GEM Included

Responding to marketplace interest in accessing as much
essential intellectual property as possible in a single license, MPEG
LA, LLC today expanded its call for patents essential to the
implementation of the Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard to include the Hybrid
Blu-ray Disc format and portions of the DVB-GEM specification that
pertain to BD-J referenced in Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format, Part 3:

(1) Blu-ray Disc, Hybrid Format, Part 1: Basic Format Specifications,
version 1.01 December 2005

(2) DVB-GEM (ETSI TS 102 819 V1.3.1 (2005-10) - Digital Video
Broadcasting (DVB); Globally Executable MHP version 1.0.2 (GEM
1.0.2); A095: Errata (1) to Globally Executable MHP (TS 102 819
V1.3.1)) as referenced in Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format, Part 3

Inclusion of these specifications is in addition to other Blu-ray
Disc(TM) specifications encompassed by previous calls for patents
issued by MPEG LA (see
http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_06-04-05_bluray.pdf). Patents essential
to additional Blu-ray Disc(TM) specifications may be called for in the
future.
MPEG LA first announced its plan for facilitating formation of a
joint patent portfolio license in a 9 November 2005 news release (see
http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_05-11-09_bluray.pdf).
Any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the
Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard and wishes to join the Blu-ray Disc(TM)
Patent Portfolio License is invited to submit them for evaluation by
MPEG LA's patent evaluators. Further information, along with terms and
procedures governing patent submissions, can be found at
http://www.mpegla.com/pid/bluray/. While only issued patents that are
essential to the Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard will be included in the
license, in order to participate in the license development process,
patent applications with claims that their owners believe are
essential to the Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard and likely to issue in a
patent also may be submitted for an evaluation of essentiality.

MPEG LA, LLC

MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses,
enabling users to acquire patent rights necessary for a particular
technology standard or platform from multiple patent holders in a
single transaction as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses.
Wherever an independently administered one-stop patent license would
provide a convenient alternative to assist users with implementation
of their technology choices, the MPEG LA(R) Licensing Model may
provide a solution. MPEG LA is not related to any standards agency and
is not an affiliate of any patent holder. By balancing patent users'
interest in reasonable access with patent owners' interest in
reasonable return, MPEG LA creates the opportunity for adoption of new
technologies and fuels innovation. MPEG LA licenses portfolios of
essential patents for the MPEG-2, MPEG-2 Systems, IEEE 1394, DVB-T,
MPEG-4 Visual (Part 2), and AVC/H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10)
standards. In addition to Blu-ray Disc(TM), MPEG LA is also
facilitating the development of alternative patent portfolio licenses
for VC-1, ATSC, DVB-H, digital rights management (DRM) technologies
including OMA DRM 1.0 and 2.0., and RFID. MPEG LA also actively seeks
to adopt its alternative patent licensing model in other industries
including biotech and pharmaceutical. For more information, please
refer to http://www.mpegla.com.