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Please email any questions you have to our
Q&A Department.
Q: What does the ATSC Patent Portfolio License cover?
A: The ATSC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage under ATSC
Patent Portfolio Patents for the ATSC Standard as defined in the ATSC
Patent Portfolio License. ATSC standard specifications can be ordered
from ATSC by going to
http://www.atsc.org/standards/
Q: Who are the essential patent holders ("Licensors") to the ATSC
Patent Portfolio License?
A: Click here.
Q: What are the obligations of the Licensors with regard to their
ATSC Essential patents?
A: Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant to MPEG LA a
worldwide, nonexclusive license under all ATSC Essential Patents that it
and/or its affiliates have the right to license or sublicense without
payment to any unaffiliated or less than 50% owned third party, allowing
MPEG LA to grant worldwide, nonexclusive sublicenses under such patents
under terms of the ATSC Patent Portfolio License.
Q: What is the effect on Licensees when new patents are added to
the ATSC Patent Portfolio License?
A: New Licensors and new patents are added to the License without
the obligation to pay additional royalties during the current Term of
the License. Licensees enjoy coverage under all essential patents from
the effective date of December 24, 1996.
Q: Are all ATSC essential patents included?
A: No assurance is or can be made that the License includes
every essential patent. The purpose of the License is to offer a
convenient licensing alternative to everyone on the same terms and to
include as much essential intellectual property as possible for their
convenience. Participation in the License is voluntary on the part of
essential patent holders.
Q: How may a patent holder become a Licensor to the ATSC Patent
Portfolio License?
A: Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to
the ATSC Standard, and wishes to participate in the ATSC Patent
Portfolio License upon successful evaluation, is invited to submit them
for evaluation and inclusion.Click
here to request a copy of the terms and procedures governing the
patent submission process.
Q: How many licenses does an ATSC user need?
A: It is up to each user to determine its own licensing needs and
how it wishes to meet them. The ATSC Patent Portfolio License is
provided for a user’s convenience in acquiring patent rights necessary
for the ATSC Standard (as defined in the License) from multiple
essential patent holders in a single transaction as an alternative to
negotiating separate license agreements with those patent holders. No
representation is made that all ATSC essential patents are included or
that other patent rights may not be infringed or necessary. As discussed
above, users who take MPEG LA’s license may have to negotiate licenses
with other entities for essential patents that are not included in this
License. A license is required for MPEG-2 Video and Systems patents (see
below), and a license also may be necessary for other important patents
whether or not they are essential to the ATSC Standard.
Q: Does the ATSC Patent Portfolio License include a license to
patents that are essential to MPEG-2 Video and Systems?
A. No, the ATSC Patent Portfolio License does not include a
portfolio license to patents that are essential to MPEG-2 Video and
Systems. ATSC receiver products include an MPEG-2 decoder, however, and
ATSC users may benefit from MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License
offering coverage under patents that are essential to the MPEG-2 Video
and Systems standard used in conjunction with ATSC (see
MPEG-2 License Agreement).
Q: How is the ATSC Patent Portfolio License organized?
A. Please refer to
a summary of the License terms.
Q: What are the royalties for the ATSC Patent Portfolio License?
A. The royalties are $5.00 for each ATSC Receiver Product from
January 1, 1998. Please refer to
a summary of the License terms.
Q: What is the Term of the ATSC Patent Portfolio License?
A: The initial term runs through December 31, 2016. The License
is renewable for successive five year periods for the life of any
Portfolio patent on reasonable terms and conditions.
Q: Is there a limitation on the amount that royalty rates may
increase at each renewal?
A: If royalty rates were to increase, they will not increase by more
than 10% for a specific licensed product and license grant at each
renewal.
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