MPEG LA today announced the availability of the VC-1 Patent
Portfolio License. Copies of the license agreement may be obtained at
http://www.mpegla.com/vc1/vc1-agreement.cfm.
As a convenience to the marketplace, the VC-1 Patent Portfolio
License offers fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to essential
VC-1 intellectual property owned by multiple patent holders in a
single license as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses. The
License includes essential VC-1 patents owned by DAEWOO Electronics
Corporation; France Telecom, societe anonyme; Fujitsu Limited;
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); Microsoft Corporation;
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
Corporation; Pantech&Curitel Communications, Inc.; Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; Telenor ASA; Toshiba
Corporation; and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC).
"The availability of this license is a testimony to the hard work
and cooperation of the patent owners and input from major industry
sectors," said MPEG LA Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn. "It affirms
further achievement of MPEG LA's goal and the success of its business
model in offering a convenient one-stop shop to assist users with
implementation of their choice among many technologies available to
them. MPEG LA remains committed to continued innovation in its
licenses to offer increased convenience that supports the
marketplace's ability to produce innovative new products that offer a
wide array of choices and flexibility to consumers."
VC-1 refers to the digital video coding technology (formally known
as SMPTE 421M-2006) that is used in many media players, advanced
optical disc players and other products. For example, VC-1 is one of
the three video decoders specified by both the Blu-ray Disc(TM) and HD
DVD standards to be included in Blu-ray Disc(TM) and HD DVD players.
The Blu-ray Disc(TM) and HD DVD standards also specify MPEG-2 and
AVC/H.264 video decoders, for which MPEG LA also offers alternative
patent licenses.
MPEG LA's objective is to provide worldwide access to as much VC-1
essential intellectual property as possible for the benefit of
licensees (new patent holders and essential patents may be added at no
additional royalty during the current term of the License). Therefore,
any party that believes that it has a patent which is essential to the
VC-1 Standard and would like to participate in the VC-1 Patent
Portfolio License is invited to submit its patent(s) for an evaluation
of essentiality by MPEG LA's patent experts and inclusion in the
License if determined to be essential. Interested parties may request
a copy of the terms and procedures governing patent submissions by
going to http://www.mpegla.com/vc1/vc1-licensors.cfm.
MPEG LA, LLC
MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses,
enabling users to acquire worldwide patent rights necessary for a
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 marketplace alternative to assist users with
implementation of their technology choices, the licensing model
pioneered and employed by MPEG LA may provide a solution. 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's initial
licensing program for MPEG-2 digital video compression helped produce
the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history, and
the MPEG LA(R) Licensing Model has become the template for addressing
other technologies. Today MPEG LA manages licensing programs
consisting of essential patents in 57 countries. MPEG LA is an
independent licensing administrator; it is not related to any
standards agency and is not an affiliate of any patent holder. For
more information, please refer to http://www.mpegla.com.
