05 June, 2007
category: Contactless, NFC
Via Licensing Corporation is offering licenses to patents deemed essential to Near Field Communications (NFC) as practiced by devices that are compliant with ISO 18092 and ISO 21481. Via Licensing will act as licensing administrator for this joint licensing program and manage patents from participating companies such as France Telecom, Inside Contactless, and NXP Semiconductors. Make sure to check out the licensing pricing below.
Via Licensing and Participating Licensors Introduce Joint Licensing Program for Essential NFC Patents
PARIS–Via Licensing Corporation is pleased to announce the availability of licenses to patents deemed essential to Near Field Communications (NFC) as practiced by devices that are compliant with ISO 18092 (equal to ECMA-340) and ISO 21481 (equal to ECMA-352 referencing ISO 14443 A and B as used in NFC applications). Via Licensing will act as licensing administrator for this joint licensing program and manage patents from participating companies such as France Telecom, Inside Contactless, and NXP Semiconductors.
NFC is a short-range, standards-based, wireless connectivity technology that allows consumers to perform safe and contactless transactions, access digital content, and connect electronic devices with a single touch.
The joint licensing program is designed to provide convenient access to essential patents for the practice of NFC. These licenses cover NFC-compliant consumer electronic devices, including mobile phones, as well as commercial devices such as payment processing terminals, transportation terminals, and vending machines. Non-compliant NFC-related technologies, such as smart cards, are not covered by the NFC pool license but may be licensed by individual patent owners through Via Licensing.
Patent Licensing
Patents will be licensed on either an à la carte or pool basis.
Via Licensing, on behalf of participating patent owners, offers an individual, per-patent-owner license with fees applicable on a per-patent-family basis (an à la carte license).
Via Licensing also announces terms below for pool licensing, a joint patent license agreement covering all the licensors’ essential patents at capped fees per device.
Licensees who obtain à la carte licenses have the option of converting to a pool license as soon as the pool license is available. As the NFC pool licensing program develops, additional patents will be added with no increase to the pool license fee.
Early Adopter Incentives
To promote the adoption of NFC technology, the patent owners have agreed to provide “royalty relief” for all licensed product sales in 2007. All consumer and commercial devices sold in 2007 will be eligible for royalty relief provided the manufacturer obtains a license by the end of 2007.
In addition, the patent owners have agreed to provide royalty relief for the first 100,000 licensed consumer devices shipped by each manufacturer by 2012 provided such manufacturer obtains a patent license by the end of 2007.
For additional information or to request a license, please visit www.vialicensing.com.
About Via Licensing Corporation
Via Licensing Corporation develops and administers patent licensing programs on behalf of innovative technology companies and for the convenience of licensees. Via Licensing Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB), and benefits from the expertise, infrastructure, and strategic business relationships that Dolby has developed in more than 35 years of licensing into the consumer electronics and personal computing markets. Via Licensing is involved in the development and operation of licensing programs for both mandated and de facto or emerging standards. For more information about Via Licensing Corporation, please visit www.vialicensing.com.
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the benefits of the NFC joint licensing program and the capabilities and benefits of NFC-capable products, are “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, and as a result of certain risks and uncertainties actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. The following important factors, without limitation, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: risks associated with licensing technologies through joint licensing programs; risks associated with licensing industry standards technologies; risks associated with developing proprietary technology in markets in which “open standards” are adopted; market acceptance of NFC-capable devices; rapid changes in networking technologies; risks associated with the development of markets for wireless local-area networking services; and other risks detailed in Dolby’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including the risks identified under the section captioned “Risk Factors” in its most recent Periodic Report on Form 10-Q or 10-K. Dolby disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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1 For licensees who execute the Selective Patent License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for consumer devices sold or otherwise supplied before January 1, 2008, but not the obligation to report.
2 For licensees who execute the Selective Patent License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for the first 100,000 consumer devices sold or otherwise supplied, even if those consumer devices are sold or otherwise supplied after January 1, 2008.
3 For licensees who execute the Selective Patent License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for commercial devices sold or otherwise supplied before January 1, 2008, but not the obligation to report.
4 For licensees who execute the Patent Pool License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for consumer devices sold or otherwise supplied before January 1, 2008, but not the obligation to report.
5 For Licensees who execute the Patent Pool License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for the first 100,000 consumer devices sold or otherwise supplied even if those consumer devices are sold or otherwise supplied after January 1, 2008.
6 For licensees who execute the Patent Pool License Agreement before January 1, 2008, payment of license fees is waived for commercial devices sold or otherwise supplied before January 1, 2008, but not the obligation to report.
Near Field Communications News and InsightExplore more developments dealing with the implementation of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that promises to revolutionize contactless identification, payment, access, and more. Click to visit NFCNews.
