Media / Licensing Programs

(DENVER, CO, US – 10 February 2011) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, announces a call for patents essential to the VP8 video codec specification used to deliver video images. The VP8 video codec is defined by the WebM Project at http://www.webmproject.org.

In order to participate in the creation of, and determine licensing terms for, a joint VP8 patent license, any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the VP8 video codec specification is invited to submit them for a determination of their essentiality by MPEG LA’s patent evaluators. At least one essential patent is necessary to participate in the process, and initial submissions should be made by March 18, 2011. Although only issued patents 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 specification and likely to issue in a patent also may be submitted. Further information, along with terms and procedures governing patent submissions, can be found at http://www.mpegla.com/main/pid/vp8/default.aspx.

VP8 Specifiation

The VP8 Specification is described in the following document, including any and all amendments: VP8 Data Format and Decoding Guide, WebM Project, Revised: February 4, 2011 (http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-bankoski-vp8-bitstream-02).

(DENVER, CO, US – 12 January 2011) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, announces a call for patents essential to the Multiview Video Codec (“MVC”) standard used to deliver 3D video images. MVC is currently used for storage and playback of 3D video content on Blu-ray Disc™ devices and optical discs (see http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091217005371/en/Blu-ray-Disc-Association-Announces-Final-3D-Specification).

MPEG LA invites any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the MVC Standard to submit them by February 18, 2011 for evaluation of their essentiality by MPEG LA’s patent evaluators in order to participate in the creation of, and determine licensing terms for, a joint MVC patent license. MVC is described in Annex H of ITU-T Rec. H.264 (03/10) and ISO/IEC IS 14496-10:2010 (Dec. 15, 2010). Presently, evaluations will be based on ISO/IEC IS 14496-10:2010 (Dec. 15, 2010) (available at http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=56538). Although only issued patents 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 MVC Standard and likely to issue in a patent also may be submitted. Further information, along with terms and procedures governing patent submissions, can be found at http://www.mpegla.com/main/pid/mvc/default.aspx.

MVC Standard

The Multiview Video Codec (“MVC”) standard is used to deliver 3D video images. MVC is currently used for storage and playback of 3D video content on Blu-ray Disc™ devices and optical discs (see http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091217005371/en/Blu-ray-Disc-Association-Announces-Final-3D-Specification).

(DENVER, CO, US – 26 August 2010) – MPEG LA announced today that its AVC Patent Portfolio License will continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to end users (known as “Internet Broadcast AVC Video”) during the entire life of this License. MPEG LA previously announced it would not charge royalties for such video through December 31, 2015 (see http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/226/n-10-02-02.pdf), and today’s announcement makes clear that royalties will continue not to be charged for such video beyond that time. Products and services other than Internet Broadcast AVC Video continue to be royalty-bearing.

MPEG LA's AVC Patent Portfolio License provides access to essential patent rights for the AVC/H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10) digital video coding standard. In addition to Internet Broadcast AVC Video, MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for devices that decode and encode AVC video, AVC video sold to end users for a fee on a title or subscription basis and free television video services. AVC video is used in set-top boxes, media player and other personal computer software, mobile devices including telephones and mobile television receivers, Blu-ray Disc™ players and recorders, Blu-ray video optical discs, game machines, personal media player devices and still and video cameras.

For more information about MPEG LA’s AVC License or to request a copy of the License, please visit http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Intro.aspx .

(DENVER, CO, US – 8 April 2010) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced a market-based initiative for a diagnostic genetics patent licensing facility that addresses the market’s need for nonexclusive access to patents for diagnostic genetics tests leading to personalized medical solutions that save lives and reduce healthcare costs.

“Diagnostic genetics testing holds great promise as a driver of precision therapy, but patent thickets and restrictive licensing arrangements threaten their delivery,” said MPEG LA President and CEO Larry Horn. “The recent case of Association for Molecular Pathology vs. USPTO, Myriad Genetics and University of Utah Research Foundation (US District Court for the Southern District of New York) suggests the need for a solution that balances social cost and open access with innovation incentive. Applying its leading mass market patent licensing expertise in service to the healthcare market, MPEG LA is prepared to deliver it. We welcome all owners of relevant patents to join those who have expressed their support for this effort.”

By aggregating patent rights for existing and emerging tests that may lead to personalized treatment (e.g., hereditary hearing loss in infants, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cardiovascular disease, Lynch syndrome) and licensing them nonexclusively for diagnostic use, MPEG LA’s diagnostic genetics patent licensing facility, or “supermarket,” will assist laboratories, testing companies and researchers in obtaining rights they need to design comprehensive diagnostic genetics tests that the market wants, thereby making these tests widely available through multiple channels at affordable prices.

In the current marketplace, many patent owners restrict access to their intellectual property in order to protect and promote their own tests, and others do not make their patents available at all because the costs of licensing them in isolation from related patents are prohibitive. By providing the public with wide access to tests that rely on the availability of these patent rights, MPEG LA’s licensing supermarket will afford patent owners – including those who currently restrict access or refrain from licensing – a new and financially attractive, low risk opportunity to make diagnostic patent rights available to a wider market through broader, more inclusive tests. As such, the MPEG LA supermarket intersects cost effectiveness with effective treatment, alleviating the social costs of current gene patenting and licensing practices while preserving the investment incentives that enable developers to bring new genetic tests to market.

(DENVER, CO, US – 29 March 2010) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced that an action brought by MPEG LA against Alcatel Lucent, Lucent Technologies Inc. (“Lucent”) and Multimedia Patent Trust in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware was settled last week (http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20Legal%20Action%20List/Attachments/192/n_07-11-05_pr.pdf).

As part of the settlement, in addition to other consideration, the Multimedia Patent Trust will submit the patents that were diverted to it in conjunction with the 2006 merger between Lucent and Alcatel for a determination of essentiality in accordance with MPEG LA’s normal procedures. If it is determined that one or more of the patents are MPEG-2 Essential Patents or MPEG-2 Systems Essential Patents, the Multimedia Patent Trust will join the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License and/or the MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License as a Licensor and all such patents will be included.

The resolution of the case is consistent with the relief MPEG LA sought in its complaint.

(DENVER, CO, US – 2 February 2010) – MPEG LA announced today that its AVC Patent Portfolio License will continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to end users (known as Internet Broadcast AVC Video) during the next License term from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015. Products and services other than Internet Broadcast AVC Video continue to be royalty-bearing, and royalties to apply during the next term will be announced before the end of 2010.

MPEG LA's AVC Patent Portfolio License provides access to essential patent rights for the AVC/H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10) digital video coding standard. In addition to Internet Broadcast AVC Video, MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for devices that decode and encode AVC video, AVC video sold to end users for a fee on a title or subscription basis and free television video services. AVC video is used in set-top boxes, media player and other personal computer software, mobile devices including telephones and mobile television receivers, Blu-ray DiscTM players and recorders, Blu-ray video optical discs, game machines, personal media player devices and still and video cameras.

For more information about MPEG LA’s AVC License or to request a copy of the License, please visit http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Intro.aspx

(DENVER, CO, US – 29 September 2009) – World leading patent pool licensing administrator MPEG LA, LLC held its first meeting of essential LTE patent owners in September in Tokyo, Japan. At the meeting, 12 patent owners from five countries on three continents discussed the specific structure and terms of a patent pool for licensing patents that are essential to the LTE standards developed by 3GPP. The patent owners represent a broad spectrum of the LTE marketplace, including handset manufacturers, network equipment manufacturers, wireless carriers, chipmakers, and research institutions.

"The wireless industry desires a reasonable LTE patent pool license that includes the essential patents of major industry participants,” said MPEG LA President and CEO Larry Horn. “We were impressed with the desire of LTE essential patent owners to deliver a broad, marketable and innovative license as evidenced by their openness to discuss and reach consensus on fundamental licensing issues.”

LTE Standard

LTE is next-generation wireless technology enabling mobile networks to meet consumer demand to move to higher speed data communications beyond that offered by existing 3G networks. LTE also offers an internet protocol architecture that opens the door to wireless business models and devices not currently offered in traditional telecommunications networks.

(DENVER, CO, US – 15 September 2009) – World leading patent pool licensing administrator MPEG LA, LLC, and Japanese patent pool administrator ULDAGE Inc. today announced a cooperation under which ULDAGE will offer MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Systems License along with ULDAGE’s ARIB license to companies based in Japan that sell mobile TV handsets for Japan’s One-Seg mobile terrestrial broadcasting service. One-Seg mobile TV handsets use both the Transport Layer of the MPEG-2 Systems Standard covered by MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Systems License and the ARIB One-Seg digital broadcast standard covered by ULDAGE’s ARIB License. Therefore, One-Seg handset manufacturers need coverage under patents essential to both standards and would benefit from both licenses.

“This collaboration marks two firsts,” said MPEG LA President and CEO Larry Horn. “It is the first time that two joint licensing administrators have joined forces. It is also the first time that a joint license has been offered covering patents essential to multiple standards utilized in a single product. We are especially thrilled to be able to do this with ULDAGE, whom we hold in the highest regard for its successful licensing of the Japanese market. We share a rich history and common values serving our customers and the market with licensing products of increasing convenience.”

“Doing this venture with MPEG LA holds special significance for us,” said ULDAGE President and CEO Yoshihide Nakamura. “MPEG LA ushered in the age of patent pool licensing bringing new efficiencies to the patent licensing market. Now together we usher in the age of product licensing. In response to market demand, through the cooperative effort of our companies each representing the gold standard in joint licensing, we are bringing new licensing products to market that will benefit the industry and its consumers.”

One-Seg is a mobile terrestrial digital audio, video and data broadcasting service used in Japan. ULDAGE’s ARIB Essential Patent License provides a license under Japanese Digital Broadcasting Standards including One-Seg that were developed by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (“ARIB”).

The MPEG-2 Systems Standard defines how to format the various components of multiplexer programs and combine them into a single program or transport stream. Where the standard is used without licensed MPEG-2 video encoders or decoders, such as in One-Seg handset and other mobile television and audio receivers and certain set-top boxes and cameras, MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License provides coverage under essential patents.

(DENVER, CO, US – 6 July 2009) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced the offering of a new MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License that will provide uninterrupted coverage for the life of the MPEG-2 essential patents at reduced royalty rates beginning January 1, 2010.

“MPEG LA and the MPEG-2 Licensors are committed to assuring that our MPEG-2 License continues to be responsive to the needs of our customers and the marketplace, and the new MPEG-2 License provides further affirmation of that objective,” said Larry Horn, MPEG LA President and CEO.

From the later of January 1, 2010 or the execution date of the new License, the royalty rate for each MPEG-2 Decoding, Encoding and Consumer Product (as defined in the new License) will be US $2.00, down from the current $2.50, and royalties for MPEG-2 Packaged Medium (e.g., DVD Video Discs) will be reduced to US$0.0176 during 2010, and US$0.016 after 2010.

For more information about the new MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License or to request a copy of the License, please visit http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M2/Pages/Intro.aspx or email Licensing@mpegla.com.

(DENVER, CO, US 11 May 2009) MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced that it has made significant progress working with a group of interested companies to facilitate creation of a joint patent pool license for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Standard for mobile telecommunications. MPEG LA’s efforts, started last year, have been directed toward educating the market about the benefits of a pool license to address the patent thicket around this next generation wireless technology and assist the market with its adoption.

“The market is ready, and we are proud that industry leading companies have invited us to facilitate creation of an LTE pool license,” said MPEG LA President and CEO Larry Horn. “Given the history of telecommunications patent pools, MPEG LA has taken the time to consult directly with mobile network operators, network equipment manufacturers and mobile handset companies regarding the benefits of a patent pool for LTE, and they have encouraged MPEG LA to move forward with this effort. We are pleased by their vote of confidence. Next generation wireless technology, with its multifunctional capabilities, begs for a patent pool licensing alternative to make its full potential available to consumer worldwide, and MPEG LA’s success in creating large pool licenses uniquely positions us to achieve it.”

MPEG LA would like as many essential patent holders as possible to be included in this process. Therefore, MPEG LA invites any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the LTE Standard (see attached) to submit them by June 19, 2009 for evaluation of their essentiality by MPEG LA’s patent evaluators in order to participate in the creation of a joint LTE patent license. Although only issued patents 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 LTE Standard and likely to issue in a patent also may be submitted. In addition, although the process will begin with LTE, it may be expanded at a later stage to provide coverage for backward compatibility with other mobile telecommunications technologies. Further information, along with terms and procedures governing patent submissions, can be found at http://www.mpegla.com/main/pid/LTE/default.aspx.

LTE Standard

LTE is next-generation wireless technology enabling mobile networks to meet consumer demand to move to higher speed data communications beyond that offered by existing 3G networks. LTE also offers an internet protocol architecture that opens the door to wireless business models and devices not currently offered in traditional telecommunications networks.

(DENVER, CO, US – 2 February 2009) – MPEG LA, LLC today announced that the coverage of its AVC Patent Portfolio License has been updated to conform with recent revisions to the AVC/H.264 Standard as defined in ISO/IEC 14496-10:2008, 4th Edition (2008-09-15). As a result of this update, the profiles now covered by the AVC Patent Portfolio License include Baseline, Main, Extended, High, High 10, High 4:2:2, High 4:4:4 Predictive, High 10 Intra, High 4:2:2 Intra, High 4:4:4 Intra, CAVLC 4:4:4 Intra, Scalable Baseline, Scalable High and Scalable High Intra.

(DENVER, CO, US – 29 August 2008) – MPEG LA, LLC and SISVEL S.p.A. announce that as of August 26, 2008 the administration of the DVB-T licensing program, including the administration of all DVB-T Patent Portfolio Licenses previously executed by MPEG LA and licensees, has been transferred from MPEG LA to SISVEL.

The DVB-T patent pool offers a fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to patents owned by France Télécom, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) that have been determined to be essential for implementing DVB-T, the terrestrial digital television broadcast standard (European Telecommunications Standardization Institute ("ETSI") document ETS300744).

Effective August 26, 2008, licenses under those DVB-T essential patents will be available from SISVEL as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses with the individual patent owners. Existing licensees will receive further communications from MPEG LA regarding the details of the transfer. All inquiries related to licenses under the DVB-T essential patents can be directed to SISVEL and information regarding the DVB-T program can be found on SISVEL’s web-site at http://www.sisvel.com.

(Denver, CO, US – 14 May 2008) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced the appointment of JP Gascon as Chief Financial Officer and Alexis (Lexy) DeVane as General Counsel.

Mr. Gascon replaces James E. Kluttz, who recently retired. Gascon brings 20 years of experience in accounting, finance and treasury management, most recently as Acting Controller for MPEG LA and founder of consulting company Artemis Financial Controls. A graduate of Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Lyon, Gascon is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Colorado Society of Public Accountants, the Colorado Treasury Management Association and Institute of Internal Auditors. He is based in MPEG LA’s Denver, Colorado office.

Ms. DeVane has been a lawyer with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, representing MPEG LA. Following her graduation from Emory University School of Law where she received a JD with honors and was elected to the Order of the Coif, DeVane clerked for The Honorable Julie E. Carnes, Federal District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. DeVane graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Political Science and a minor in English, received a Masters Degree in Theological Studies from Emory University, Candler School of Theology and was a Fulbright Scholar in Helsinki, Finland affiliated with the University of Helsinki, School of Law. She will join MPEG LA at the end of May and will be based in MPEG LA’s Chevy Chase, Maryland office.

“The addition of JP and Lexy brings even more strength to MPEG LA’s management team” said MPEG LA Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn. “In addition to a strong working knowledge of MPEG LA, they share an enthusiasm for the Company’s mission. We are pleased to have them. MPEG LA will benefit greatly from their experience and leadership.”

(DENVER, CO, US – 5 November 2007) – MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced that it has commenced an action against Alcatel Lucent (“Alcatel”) for breach of contractual obligations as a Licensor in MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 patent pool licensing program. The suit also names Lucent Technologies, Inc. (“Lucent”) and Multimedia Patent Trust (the “Trust”).

According to the complaint filed in the Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware, Alcatel promised to make available to Licensees through MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License all MPEG-2 essential patents which Alcatel can license or sublicense – and not take any action to subvert that commitment. But rather than abide by that promise, Alcatel and Lucent created the Trust to hold patents that Alcatel was and is required to place into the MPEG-2 License, and has taken the position that the essential MPEG-2 patents purportedly transferred to the Trust cannot be placed in the MPEG-2 License.

In fact, the patents were transferred to the Trust (in which Alcatel has 99% beneficial ownership) with Alcatel’s agreement and consent, and the only purpose of the transfer was to avoid Alcatel’s contractual commitment in order to extract additional royalties from MPEG-2 patent pool Licensees.

MPEG LA seeks, among other things, declaratory, injunctive and other equitable relief.

(CHEVY CHASE, MD, US – 20 September 2007) – MPEG LA, LLC today announced the availability of the ATSC Patent Portfolio License. The joint license includes patents that are essential to the digital television standard (including high definition and standard definition) developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and used in digital televisions sold in the United States, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and other countries.

Essential patent holders include Zenith Electronics Corporation; Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); LG Electronics Inc.; and Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.

"MPEG LA is proud to play a continuing role in support of digital television's now and next generation," said MPEG LA Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn. "This license gives further testimony to the ability of the MPEG LA^® Licensing Model to address real world market demand for a convenient and reliable one-stop licensing alternative enabling manufacturers to focus their resources on new product development. We applaud these patent holders for their exemplary cooperation in coming together for the benefit of the marketplace with patents of demonstrated value to forge a voluntary marketplace solution inuring to the benefit of ATSC consumers.” Copies of the license agreement may be obtained at http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/ATSC/Pages/Agreement.aspx

MPEG LA welcomes any party that believes it has patents which are essential to the ATSC Standard to submit them for an evaluation of their 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 at http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/ATSC/Pages/Licensors.aspx. MPEG LA’s objective is to provide worldwide access to as much ATSC 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.

(Chevy Chase, Maryland USA – 14 March 2007) – 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/main/programs/VC1/Pages/Agreement.aspx.

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 Télécom, société 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).

(Chevy Chase, Maryland USA - 21 February 2007) - MPEG LA announced today that the fourth meeting of essential Blu-ray Disc^TM patent owners, currently consisting of 18 companies, was held in New York on February 6-7 for the purpose of creating a joint license providing fair, reasonable, non-discriminatory access to essential patents, as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses. Significant progress has been made in identifying licensing terms for Blu-ray Disc^TM products such as players, recorders, drives, software, recordable discs and prerecorded discs. Participating companies include CyberLink Corporation; Dell Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Hitachi Ltd.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pioneer Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sonic Solutions; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; and Warner Home Video Inc.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 6 December 2006) - In its continued response 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 following specification:

   System Description Blu-ray Disc^TM Rewritable Format,

   Part 3 Audio Visual Basic Specifications, Version 3.0, September 2006

Inclusion of this specification is in addition to other Blu-ray Disc^TM Specifications encompassed by previous calls for patents issued by MPEG LA [see MPEG LA Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc^TM Patents and MPEG LA Further Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc^TM Patents]. Patents essential to additional Blu-ray Disc^TM Specifications may be called for in the future.

(Denver, Colorado, US - 17 August 2006) - MPEG LA, LLC announced today that an initial group of essential patent holders have agreed on final terms of license to be included in the VC-1 Patent Portfolio License ("License"), expected to issue during 2006. A summary of the license terms is attached.

"This represents an extraordinary and persistent effort by a devoted group of patent owners acting in the public interest," said MPEG LA Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn. "By the patent owners' commitment to make available a joint patent license for the convenience of VC-1 adopters, consumers benefiting from a marketplace of competitive technology choices are the clear winners."

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 27 July 2006) - 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 MPEG LA Expands Call for Blu-ray DiscTM Patents]. Patents essential to additional Blu-ray Disc^TM specifications may be called for in the future.

(Denver, Colorado USA - 20 July 2006) - MPEG LA announced today that the first meeting of essential Blu-ray Disc^TM patent owners, consisting of 17 companies, was held in Los Angeles on July 6-7 for the purpose of creating a joint license providing fair, reasonable, non-discriminatory access to essential patents, as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses. Participating companies included CyberLink Corporation; Dell Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Hitachi Ltd.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pioneer Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; and Warner Home Video Inc.

Beijing, China - April 27, 2006 - MPEG LA, LLC, the world leader in one-stop technology platform patent licenses, today signed an IPR Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the China Audio Industry Association (CAIA) and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) during the China National Intellectual Property Rights Week 2006. Multiple negotiations, followed by the MOU signing, present a landmark achievement for MPEG LA's cooperation with Chinese partners.

Beijing, China - April 26, 2006 - Lawrence Horn, Manager and CEO of MPEG LA, LLC, the world leader in one-stop technology platform patent licenses, spoke at the China High-level Forum on IPR Protection 2006 in Beijing, sharing MPEG LA's one-stop licensing model and worldwide experience. The forum is a key part of the China National Intellectual Property Rights Week 2006 campaign.

(Denver, Colorado, US - 19 April 2006) - MPEG LA today announced the availability of the MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License providing coverage for use of the MPEG-2 Systems Standard in products without MPEG-2 video encoders or decoders. The MPEG-2 Systems Standard (ISO documents IS 13818-1 (including annexes C, D, F, J and K)) defines how to format the various components of multimedia programs and combine them into a single program or transport bitstream. Currently included in the License are essential patents owned by Alcatel, GE Technology Development, Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi, Philips, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Scientific Atlanta, and Thomson Licensing. Copies of the License can be requested at http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M2S/Pages/Agreement.aspx.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - April 5, 2006) - MPEG LA, LLC today expanded its call for patents essential to the implementation of the Blu-ray Disc^TM Standard to include the System Description Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format Part 3 Audio Visual Basic Specifications Version 1.0 (January 2006). MPEG LA's plan for forming a joint patent portfolio license to provide users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to the Blu-ray Disc^TM technology as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses was first announced in a 9 November 2005 news release [see MPEG LA Announces Plan for Blu-ray Disc™ Patent License]. The inclusion of the Read-Only Format Version 1, Part 3: Audio Visual Basic Specifications is in addition to the other parts of the standard earlier announced.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 24 January 2006) - MPEG LA today announced that the next meeting of ATSC essential patent holders will be held February 8 in New York City. The meeting is part of a continuing effort to address the market's demonstrated need for a single license consisting of essential patents for the digital terrestrial television standard known as ATSC. ATSC, which has been adopted for the transmission and reception of digital television broadcast signals in the United States, incorporates the RF modulation format known as 8-VSB in addition to other technologies.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 01 December 2005) - MPEG LA, LLC today announced that it has extended until February 15, 2006 (from December 15, 2005) the period for the initial submission of patents to be evaluated by independent patent experts for their essentiality to the Blu-ray Disc^TM Standard. MPEG LA's plan for forming a joint patent portfolio license to provide users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to the Blu-ray Disc^TM technology as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses was first announced in a 9 November 2005 news release [see MPEG LA Announces Plan for Blu-ray Disc^TM Patent License]. The call for essential patents is the first step in that process.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 15 November 2005) - MPEG LA, LLC today issued a revised AVC Patent Portfolio License expanding coverage to include the AVC Fidelity Range Extensions (FRExt/AVC), in addition to the other AVC/H.264 profiles currently included in the AVC/H.264 video standard (ITU-T Rec. H.264, March 2005). MPEG LA previously announced on January 27, 2005 that this expansion would be forthcoming (MPEG LA to Expand AVC Patent Portfolio License Coverage). The current royalty rates that apply to products which use one or more AVC profiles also apply to products that use FRExt/AVC.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 9 November 2005) - MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in one-stop technology standards patent licensing, today issued a call for patents and patent applications that are essential to the Blu-ray Disc^TM Standard.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 18 July 2005) - MPEG LA convened a meeting of essential ATSC digital television patent holders in Chicago on June 28 to begin the process to determine joint licensing terms. Parties with patents determined by MPEG LA's patent experts to be essential to the ATSC digital television standard ("standard") were invited to participate.

(Denver, Colorado, US - 10 May 2005) - MPEG LA, which pioneered one-stop technology patent licensing services worldwide, today announced that MPEG LA (UK) Ltd. will open an office in Shanghai, PRC. The Shanghai office will establish an everyday presence that will allow MPEG LA not only to serve and build stronger relationships with its large and growing customer base in China but also to develop new relationships and new customers going forward. To this point MPEG LA has been ably assisted by Maryland Center China in Shanghai and will continue to call upon them for assistance.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 12 April 2005) − MPEG LA announced today that the initial group of OMA DRM 1.0 essential patent holders have revised the terms of a joint patent portfolio license to be offered by MPEG LA for use of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) DRM 1.0 specification. The group consists of ContentGuard Holdings, Inc., Intertrust Technologies Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., and Sony Corporation. The revisions are responsive to feedback from the market following MPEG LA's announcement of proposed license terms on January 6, 2005 (MPEG LA Announces OMA DRM Patent License Terms). MPEG LA and the OMA DRM 1.0 Patent Portfolio License are not affiliated with the OMA; nor was the OMA DRM 1.0 Patent Portfolio License initiated by the OMA. Rather, the OMA DRM 1.0 Patent Portfolio License has been established by MPEG LA for the convenience of OMA DRM 1.0 adopters as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses with individual patent owners.

(Tokyo, Japan – 18 February 2005) – MPEG LA today officially opened its MPEG LA (UK) Ltd. Office in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo office is one more step towards MPEG LA providing customer service and liaison to MPEG LA's many customers in Asia. MPEG LA pioneered one-stop technology patent licensing services worldwide and has a large current customer base in the Asia region.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 27 January 2005) – In order to meet emerging marketplace needs, MPEG LA, LLC today announced that it plans to expand the AVC Patent Portfolio License to include coverage of AVC Fidelity Range Extensions ("FRExt/AVC"), which were recently added to the AVC/H.264 video standard (ISO/IEC IS14496-10). For the convenience of licensees, the current royalty rates provided under the AVC Patent Portfolio License would remain the same and would continue to apply whether one or more AVC profiles (including FRExt/AVC) is used. The amended license, expected to issue in March 2005, would cover both existing and future licensees.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 24 January 2005) – MPEG LA, LLC announced today that it has issued a revised DVB-T Patent Portfolio License. The new License will provide uninterrupted coverage to current Licensees and coverage to new Licensees under patents that are essential to the DVB-T Standard (European Telecommunications Standardization Institute ("ETSI") document ETS300744) adopted for use in digital terrestrial television broadcasting in Europe, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 6 January 2005) − MPEG LA announced today that an initial group of essential patent holders including ContentGuard Holdings, Inc., Intertrust Technologies Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., and Sony Corporation have reached tentative agreement on the terms of a joint patent portfolio license to be offered by MPEG LA for use of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) DRM 1.0 specification. The companies were convened in response to MPEG LA's call for essential patents [MPEG LA Issues DRM Reference Model 2.0, Calls for Essential Patents Covering OMA DRM 1.0 and Internet Music Distribution]. The proposed OMA DRM Patent Portfolio License is expected to cover products that use the OMA DRM 1.0 specification, as well as those which use both OMA DRM 1.0 and 2.0.

(Denver, Colorado, USA − 22 December 2004) − MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in one-stop technology standards patent licensing, today issued a call for patents that are essential to the DVB-H standard, a specification of the DVB Project and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for carrying multimedia services over digital terrestrial broadcast networks to handheld terminals. The purpose of the call is to begin a process of evaluating and determining patents that are essential for the DVB-H Standard in order to include them in a joint patent portfolio license providing users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to this technology. A summary of the MPEG LA plan with reference to the DVB-H standard is attached. DVB-H builds on the (DVB Project/ETSI) DVB-T digital terrestrial television transmission standard for which MPEG LA already offers a patent portfolio license.

(Denver, Colorado, USA − 22 December 2004) − MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in one-stop technology standards patent licensing, today issued a call for patents that are essential to the ATSC digital television standard, which has been adopted thus far in the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Argentina and Mexico. The purpose of the call is to begin a process of evaluating and determining patents that are essential for the ATSC Standard in order to include them in a joint patent portfolio license providing users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to this technology. A summary of the MPEG LA plan with reference to the ATSC standard is attached.

(Chevy Chase, Maryland, US – 18 October 2004) – MPEG LA, LLC is pleased to announce that it will conduct a seminar "MPEG-2 Technology and China's DVD Industry" for the China Audio Industry Association (CAIA) and its member companies on Thursday 21 October 2004 in Shanghai's Jingjiang Grand Hall.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 23 September 2004) - MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in one-stop technology platform patent licensing, today issued DRM Reference Model 3.0 specifically covering the Open Mobile Alliance’s OMA DRM 2.0 standard (“OMA DRM 2.0”) and a call for patents that are essential to DRM Reference Model v 3.0 including OMA DRM 2.0. DRM refers to digital rights management technology.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 20 September 2004) – MPEG LA, LLC today issued the revised MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License for the MPEG-4 Visual (Part 2) Standard. The revisions were outlined in a press release in April 2004 (see MPEG LA Announces Revisions to License for MPEG-4 (Part 2) Visual); the revised License retains many of the same terms as the old License but is simpler for both manufacturers and video providers to apply.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 20 July 2004) - MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in one-stop technology platform patent licensing, today issued DRM Reference Model 2.0, specifically covering the Open Mobile Alliance’s OMA DRM 1.0 standard (“OMA DRM 1.0”).

(Denver, Colorado, US – 15 July 2004) – MPEG LA today announced the availability of the AVC Patent Portfolio License. Copies of the License may be obtained at www.mpegla.com, “AVC”, “The License Agreement”.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 20 May 2004) – MPEG LA today issued a correction to its May 18, 2004 press release announcing final terms of license to be included in the AVC Patent Portfolio License MPEG LA Announces Final AVC/H.264 License Terms. The correction is to part 2 of the Attachment to the May 18, 2004 news release referring to Participation Fees (Where End User pays directly for AVC Video) for Subscription AVC Video. In the case of Subscription AVC Video, the 100,000 annual subscriber no-royalty threshold will not be limited to one legal entity in an affiliated group. The corrected Attachment is appended.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 18 May 2004) – MPEG LA, LLC today announced that AVC essential patent holders have agreed on final terms of license to be included in the AVC Patent Portfolio License (“License”) scheduled to issue in June. While many of the terms will be the same as those announced in a November 17 press release (MPEG LA Announces Terms of Joint H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Patent License), there are some changes.

(Denver, Colorado, US – 29 April 2004) – MPEG LA, LLC announced today that patent holders to the MPEG-4 Visual (Part 2) Patent Portfolio License (“License”) have agreed on changes to the License to meet emerging market conditions. The MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License, which issued in November 2002, now has more than 115 Licensees representing a wide spectrum of users (see http://www.mpegla.com for a list of Licensees in good standing). Current Licensees will be given the option to retain their current License or elect the revised License. While retaining many of the same terms as the current License, the revised License, which is expected to issue this summer, will simplify application of the License for both manufacturers and video providers.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 26 March 2004) MPEG LA, LLC today announced a plan for providing fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory worldwide access to patents that are essential to “Proposed Standard VC-9 Submitted to SMPTE Technology Committee C24” (2004-03-19), a/k/a “Proposed SMPTE Standard for Television: VC-9 Compressed Video Bitstream Format and Decoding Process,” as it may be amended (“VC-9 Specification”). A summary of the MPEG LA plan is attached. The first step calls for those with patents that they believe are essential to the VC-9 Specification to submit them for an evaluation of essentiality by independent patent experts. An initial group of patent holders whose patents are determined to be essential will be convened within 30-45 days to begin considering terms of a joint license, but the process will remain open and submissions will continue to be welcome.

Tokyo March 24--In a joint press conference with MPEG LA today, Japan broadcasters NHK, TBS, NTV, TV Asahi, Fuji TV and TV Tokyo announce their adoption of AVC/H.264 Video Coding for mobile segment digital terrestrial broadcasting. A basic agreement is also announced between the broadcasters and MPEG LA on royalties and other terms of license under essential patents owned by many parties to be offered as part of a joint license.

(Denver, Colorado, USA, 15 March 2004) MPEG LA, LLC convened a first meeting of essential digital rights management (DRM) patent holders in New York City on March 3 to consider terms of a joint patent license. DRM generally refers to technologies for managing and protecting the authorized use of digital content. Parties with patents determined by MPEG LA’s patent experts to be essential to DRM as described in DRM Reference Model v 1.0 were invited to participate in this initial meeting; other parties who submit patents found to be essential also will be invited to join.

(Denver, Colorado, USA - 17 November 2003) MPEG LA today announced that essential H.264/MPEG-4 AVC patent and patent application holders have reached agreement on the terms of a joint patent license for implementation and use of ITU-T H.264 and MPEG-4 Part 10 AVC (“AVC Standard”).