MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent
licenses, today announced that several leading companies and a
university have filed separate patent enforcement actions in District
Court Dusseldorf, Germany against Amino Communications Limited
("Amino") for infringing patents essential to the MPEG-2 digital video
compression standard used worldwide in digital television broadcasting
and DVD.
Plaintiffs in the various lawsuits include: CIF Licensing, LLC;
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York; GE
Technology Development, Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,
Ltd.; Mitsubishi Denki K.K.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.;
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sony Corporation; Thomson Licensing
S.A.; and Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
According to the complaints, Amino offers in Germany products,
such as set-top boxes and other digital television delivery systems,
which use patent protected MPEG-2 methods without having entered into
licenses with the individual patent holders or a portfolio license
that includes these patents offered by MPEG LA.
The suit seeks, among other things, monetary damages and an
injunction prohibiting Amino from using MPEG-2 patents in its products
and from offering, marketing, or importing them.
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. Among MPEG
LA´s licenses is one for MPEG-2 digital video compression that has
helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer
electronics history. The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License, which
includes more than 825 MPEG-2 essential patents in 57 countries, has
approximately 1300 licensees accounting for most MPEG-2 products
including set-top boxes, DVD players, digital television sets,
personal computers and DVD Video Discs in the current world market.
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.
