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Please email any questions you have to our
Q&A Department.
Q: What does the VC-1 Patent Portfolio License cover?
A: The VC-1 Patent Portfolio License provides coverage under VC-1
Patent Portfolio Patents for the VC-1 Standard as initially defined in
SMPTE 421M-2006, VC-1 Compressed Video Bitstream Format and Decoding
Process. The VC-1 standard can be ordered from SMPTE by going to
http://store.smpte.org/product-p/smpte%200421m-2006.htm
Q: Who are the essential patent holders ("Licensors") to the VC-1
Patent Portfolio License?
A: Click here.
Q: What are the obligations of the Licensors with regard to their
VC-1 Essential patents?
A: Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant to MPEG LA a
worldwide, nonexclusive license under all VC-1 Essential Patents that it
has the right to license or sublicense without payment to any
unaffiliated third party, allowing MPEG LA to grant worldwide,
nonexclusive sublicenses under such patents under terms of the VC-1
Patent Portfolio License.
Q: What is the effect on Licensees when new patents are added to
the VC-1 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 January 1, 2006 forward.
Q: Are all VC-1 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, however.
Q: How may a patent holder become a Licensor to the VC-1 Patent
Portfolio License?
A: Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to
the VC-1 Standard, and wishes to participate in the VC-1 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 a VC-1 user need?
A: It is up to each user to determine its own licensing needs and
how it wishes to meet them. The VC-1 Patent Portfolio License is
provided for a user’s convenience in acquiring patent rights necessary
for the VC-1 Standard from multiple essential patent holders in a single
transaction rather than electing its option to negotiate separate
license agreements with individual essential patent holders. But, users
have the right to separately negotiate a license with any and all of the
essential patent holders under any and all of the essential patents
under terms to be independently negotiated by each. In addition, 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 also may be necessary for other important
patents (which are not essential to the VC-1 standard) that may be used.
Q: How is the VC-1 Patent Portfolio License organized?
A. Please refer to
a summary of the License terms.
Q: What are the royalties for the VC-1 Patent Portfolio License?
A. Please refer to
a summary of the License terms.
Q: Do the same licensing terms apply to all profiles of the VC-1
Standard?
A: Yes, the same terms apply whether one or more profiles is used.
Q: What is the Term of the VC-1 Patent Portfolio License?
A: The initial term runs through December 31, 2012. 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% at each renewal for specific license grants (except Internet
Broadcast VC-1 Video, which is provided for in Section 3.1.5 of the
License).
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