Denver, United States
A district court in Germany (Landgericht Dusseldorf) has issued a preliminary injunction finding that statements by German DVD disc manufacturer Optical Disc Service ("ODS") to the effect that ODS has acquired the DVD manufacturing license issued by MPEG LA infringe German competition law. According to the preliminary injunction, ODS is prohibited from making and publicizing false statements such as those made by ODS in a December 28, 2006 press release, which claimed, "As part of the asset deal ODS has acquired the DVD manufacturing licenses issued by MPEG LA and 6C/Toshiba. After litigation with MPEG LA in Europe about the validity of patents and the size of royalty payments, the ODS Group's manufacturing operations in the US, the UK and in Germany have now agreed to be MPEG LA and 6C/Toshiba licensees for their entire DVD production." See http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_07-01-03_pr.pdf.
MPEG LA, LLC
MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses, enabling users to acquire worldwide patent rights necessary for a 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 marketplace alternative to assist users with implementation of their technology choices, the licensing model pioneered and employed by MPEG LA may provide a solution. Among MPEG LA's licenses is one for MPEG-2 digital video compression that has helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history. The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License, which includes approximately 800 MPEG-2 essential patents in 57 countries, has more than 1,000 licensees accounting for most MPEG-2 products, including an estimated 90% of all DVD discs, in the current world market. MPEG LA is an independent licensing administrator; it is not related to any standards agency and is not an affiliate of any patent holder. For more information, please refer to http://www.mpegla.com.
CONTACT: MPEG LA, LLC Michelle Ott 301-986-6660 Fax: 301-986-8575 mott@mpegla.com
Source: Business Wire (Business Wire India)