RFID Consortium Embraces ISO Amendment for Generation 2 Protocol.

ISO Inclusion of Generation 2 Accelerates Consortium RFID Licensing Initiative

CHICAGO -- The RFID Consortium (in formation) today announced its intention to provide licenses in compliance with the ISO/IEC 18000-6 Amendment 1 incorporating the EPCglobal Generation 2 UHF RFID Air Interface protocol that was recently published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Consistent with its original intent when first announced, the Consortium is being organized to provide efficient patent management for patent holders, and convenient access to Generation 2 UHF RFID patents for manufacturers and users under both the EPCglobal standard and the ISO standard.

"The RFID Consortium intends to make available licenses that will be convenient and useful to manufacturers and users of products manufactured to comply with these standards," said Kevin Ashton, a spokesperson for the RFID Consortium, and vice president, marketing, for ThingMagic. "The amendment to the ISO/IEC 18000-6 Standard is an important and necessary milestone, enabling the industry to move forward in a comprehensive and consistent manner worldwide. This action is a critical step which will advance the Consortium's licensing initiative."

ISO, the world's largest developer of standards, is a network of the national standards institutes of over 150 countries. In setting electrotechnical standards, the ISO works with the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), the oldest international standards setting organization in the world, established in 1906. ISO and IEC, in combination with ITU (International Telecommunication Union), have built a strategic partnership with the WTO (World Trade Organization) with the common goal of promoting a free and fair global trading system.

The RFID Consortium intends to offer licenses intended to promote competition in the RFID arena by making available, through the Consortium, a portfolio license that will foster compliance with both the EPCglobal and ISO standards. The RFID Consortium is open to all patent holders, regardless of whether they were involved in the development of those standards. The Consortium expects to continue to work in parallel with those standard setting organizations to assist in the commercialization and wide acceptance of the standards those organizations independently develop.

The RFID Consortium is working to provide a structured approach for holders of essential RFID patents to receive fair compensation for those patents, at a reasonable cost to the end-user, thus promoting rapid adoption of RFID. This approach offers competitive benefits by integrating complementary technologies and reducing transaction costs. It offers an effective alternative to time-consuming and expensive individual licensing agreements. Under the proposed licensing arrangement, all essential RFID patents owned by members of the Consortium will be made available to interested companies via a single license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

For further information about becoming a member of the RFID Consortium, interested parties should contact Tony McQuinn, Director of Licensing Programs and Business Development for Via Licensing at: [e-mail]; or 415-645-4737.

About the RFID Consortium

The RFID Consortium, which is currently being organized, will be comprised of companies involved with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The RFID Consortium's goals are to promote rapid adoption of RFID by facilitating easier access, by manufacturers and customers alike, to essential RFID patents and to provide patent owners the opportunity to receive fair compensation for those patents, all at a reasonable cost to the end-user.