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Please email any questions you have to our
Q&A Department.
Q: What does the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License cover?
A: The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License provides coverage under MPEG-2 Patent
Portfolio Patents for the MPEG-2 Video and Systems standard specifications:
ISO/IEC IS 13818-1 Information Technology - Generic Coding of Moving Pictures
and Associated Audio Information including annexes C, D, F, J, and K; ISO/IEC IS
13818-2 including annexes A, B, C, D but excluding scalable extensions; and IS
13818-4 but only as it is needed to clarify IS 13818-2 ("MPEG-2 standard"). As
of January 1, 2006, parties using the MPEG-2 Systems Standard in products
without licensed MPEG-2 video encoders or decoders will benefit from coverage
under the MPEG-2 Systems Patent Portfolio License,
in addition to other licenses that may be required (e.g., for non-MPEG-2 video
codecs).
Q: Who are the essential patent holders ("Licensors") to the MPEG-2 Patent
Portfolio License?
A: Click here.
Q: What are the obligations of the Licensors with regard to their MPEG-2
Essential Patents?
A: Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant to MPEG LA a worldwide,
nonexclusive license under all MPEG-2 Essential Patents that it has the right to
license or sublicense to allow MPEG LA to grant worldwide, nonexclusive
sublicenses under such patents under terms of the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio
License.
Q: Are all MPEG-2 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 MPEG-2 Patent
Portfolio License?
A: Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to the MPEG-2
Standard, and wishes to participate in the MPEG-2 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: Who decides which patents are essential?
A: Dr. Kenneth Rubenstein of the New York-based law firm Proskauer Rose LLP
heads the independent patent evaluation and is MPEG LA's US patent counsel.
Other members of the team include Gottfried Schull, Thomas Rox and Ralph
Schipppan of Cohausz & Florack in Düsseldorf for the evaluation of European
patents; Hideo Ozaki of Ohba and Ozaki in Tokyo for the evaluation of Japanese
patents; and Moon & Moon of Seoul, Korea for the evaluation of Korean patents.
Q: What is the effect on Licensees when new patents are added to the
MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License?
A: New Licensors and new patents are added with no increase in royalty rates
during the current Term of the License. Licensees enjoy coverage under such
patents from the License effective date (June 1, 1994) forward.
Q: How is the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License organized?
A: Please refer to the
License Agreement.
Q: What are the royalties for the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License and on
which products are they payable?
A: Please refer to the
License Agreement.
Q: Who would benefit from the MPEG-2 License?
A: The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License provides coverage under patents that are
essential for use of the MPEG-2 Video and Systems Standard. Therefore, products
that include MPEG-2 functionality (for example, MPEG-2 decoding in a set-top
box, television, PC or DVD player) and bear the brand name that Licensee owns or
otherwise has the right to use at Licensee’s discretion need to be licensed
under these essential patents and will benefit from coverage under our MPEG-2
License.
Under the MPEG-2 License, coverage is provided and royalties are paid on
MPEG-2 end products that are sold under a brand that the Licensee owns or has
the right to use (“MPEG – 2 Products”). Accordingly, the party that offers
(directly or indirectly) such branded MPEG-2 Products for Sale to the end user
is responsible for being licensed and paying the applicable royalty. In the case
where a company offers its own end products (for example, a DVD player that
bears the brand name that Licensee owns or otherwise has the right to use at
Licensee’s discretion) then that company would benefit from the coverage
provided under the License and would be responsible for paying the applicable
royalties. Alternatively, if such company offers only components or OEM products
for its customers (for example, products sold under a brand name owned or
rightfully used by a customer) then such product would not be licensed under the
License.
Q: How do I know if my DVD disc replicator or duplicator is licensed for
use of MPEG-2 technology under essential MPEG-2 patents?
A: Content providers and others that contract for DVD Video disc replication and
duplication services have liability for patent infringement when they deal with
unlicensed replicators and duplicators. But since most DVD disc replicators and
duplicators are licensed, it is not difficult to do business with those who are
meeting their obligations. For a list of DVD Video disc replicators and
duplicators who are meeting their patent licensing obligations, please go to the
current list of MPEG-2 Licensees in Good Standing
located here.
Q: What is the Term of the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License?
A: The new License provides coverage through the expiration of the MPEG-2 Patent
Portfolio Patents.
Q: How does MPEG LA ensure that sublicensing remains fair, reasonable and
non-discriminatory?
A: The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License offered by MPEG LA has the same terms and
conditions for all Licensees. Further, the License also ensures a fair process
of obtaining new MPEG-2 Essential Patents and for a Licensee to license its own
MPEG-2 Essential Patents to the pool on the same terms and conditions as all
licensors.
Q: What is the difference between MPEG-1 and MPEG-2?
A: The original goal of the ISOs MPEG committee was to create a standard for the
delivery of video on a compact disc. The committee specifically targeted
bitrates of around 1.2 Mbits per second (Mbps) for video. That original standard
is known as MPEG-1. The ISOs MPEG Committee developed a second effort that takes
advantage of higher bandwidths (data rates) to deliver higher image resolution
and picture quality. Specifically, this effort targeted increased image quality
in ranges from about 3 to 15 Mbps, support of interlaced video formats, and
provision for multi-resolution scalability. This is MPEG-2.
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