MPEG LA Further Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc(TM) Patents; Hybrid Disc and Blu-ray Disc(TM) Portions of DVB-GEM Included.

DENVER, Colo. -- 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 http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_06-04-05_bluray.pdf). Patents essential to additional Blu-ray Disc(TM) specifications may be called for in the future.

MPEG LA first announced its plan for facilitating formation of a joint patent portfolio license in a 9 November 2005 news release (see http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_05-11-09_bluray.pdf).

Any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard and wishes to join the Blu-ray Disc(TM) Patent Portfolio License is invited to submit them for evaluation by MPEG LA's patent evaluators. Further information, along with terms and procedures governing patent submissions, can be found at http://www.mpegla.com/pid/bluray/. While only issued patents that are essential to the Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard 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 Blu-ray Disc(TM) standard and likely to issue in a patent also may be submitted for an evaluation of essentiality.

MPEG LA, LLC

MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses, enabling users to acquire patent rights necessary for a particular technology standard or platform from multiple patent holders in a single transaction as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses. Wherever an independently administered one-stop patent license would provide a convenient alternative to assist users with implementation of their technology choices, the MPEG LA(R) Licensing Model may provide a solution. MPEG LA is not related to any standards agency and is not an affiliate of any patent holder. By balancing patent users' interest in reasonable access with patent owners' interest in reasonable return, MPEG LA creates the opportunity for adoption of new technologies and fuels innovation. MPEG LA licenses portfolios of essential patents for the MPEG-2, MPEG-2 Systems, IEEE 1394, DVB-T, MPEG-4 Visual (Part 2), and AVC/H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10) standards. In addition to Blu-ray Disc(TM), MPEG LA is also facilitating the development of alternative patent portfolio licenses for VC-1, ATSC, DVB-H, digital rights management (DRM) technologies including OMA DRM 1.0 and 2.0., and RFID. MPEG LA also actively seeks to adopt its alternative patent licensing model in other industries including biotech and pharmaceutical. For more information, please refer to http://www.mpegla.com.