|
Please email any questions you have to our
Q&A
Department.
MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License
Q: What does the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License cover?
A: The MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for
current MPEG-4 Visual Standard profiles that are covered by Portfolio
patents. Included are simple, core, main, simple scalable, N-bit, basic
animated texture, scalable texture, simple FA, advanced real time
simple, core scalable, advanced coding efficiency, advanced core,
advanced scalable texture, simple FBA, hybrid, advanced simple, fine
granularity scalable, simple studio, and/or core studio profiles as
defined in ISO/IEC 14496-2:2001 [Part 2 Visual dated 2001-12-01],
14496-2:2001/Amd.1:2002 [Studio profile dated 2002-02-01], or
14496-2:2001/Amd.2:2002 [Streaming video profile dated 2002-02-01].
Q: Who are the essential patent holders ("Licensors") to the
MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License?
A: Click here.
Q: How may a patent holder become a Licensor to the MPEG-4 Visual
Patent Portfolio License?
A: Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to the
MPEG-4 Visual Standard, and wishes to participate in the MPEG-4 Visual
Patent Portfolio License upon successful evaluation, is invited to
submit them for evaluation and inclusion.
Click here to obtain terms and procedures governing the patent
submission process.
Q: How is the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License organized?
A:
See this PowerPoint Presentation.
Q: How are reasonable royalties apportioned throughout the product
chain?
A: Rather than place the entire royalty in one place (e.g., on the
decoder or encoder manufacturer), royalties are also payable at those
parts of the product chain where value is received and those who receive
the value can build the royalties into their business models. For
example, encoder and decoder manufacturers pay royalties for the right
to make and sell decoders and encoders, but video providers who receive
remuneration for offering MPEG-4 video either directly (e.g.,
subscription or title-by-title fees) or indirectly (e.g., advertising or
underwriting fees) pay a royalty for the right to use the decoders and
encoders to receive and transmit the remunerated video. Where video is
not offered for remuneration, however, no additional royalty is payable.
Advertising or promoting one's own products is not treated as a
remunerated use for which royalties are payable; neither is personal
consumer use (e.g., in connection with a video teleconference).
Q: What are the royalties for the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio
License?
A:
See this PowerPoint Presentation.
Q: What are the obligations of the Licensors with regard to their
essential MPEG-4 Visual patents?
A: Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant to MPEG LA a
worldwide, nonexclusive license under all MPEG-4 Visual Essential
Patents that it may own worldwide, with a right of MPEG LA to grant
sublicenses under the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License.
Q: What is the effect on Licensees when new patents are added to
the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License?
A: New Licensors and new patents are added at no additional cost
during the current Term of the License. Licensees enjoy coverage under
all patents from the effective date (January 1, 2000) forward.
Q: What is the Term of the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License?
A: The current term runs through December 31, 2013 and is renewable
on reasonable terms and conditions for successive 5-year periods for the
useful life of any Portfolio patent.
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 25% at each renewal for similar license grants.
|