MPEG LA Further Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc^TM Patents
Hybrid Disc and Blu-ray Disc^TM Portions of DVB-GEM Included
(Denver, Colorado, USA – 27 July 2006) – 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.
Full news release here

First Meeting of Blu-ray Disc^TM Patent Holders Held
Progress Made, Input Welcomed in Creation of Joint Patent License
(Denver, Colorado USA – 20 July 2006) – MPEG LA announced today that the first meeting of essential Blu-ray Disc^TM patent owners, consisting of 17 companies, was held in Los Angeles on July 6-7 for the purpose of creating a joint license providing fair, reasonable, non-discriminatory access to essential patents, as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses. Participating companies included CyberLink Corporation; Dell Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Hitachi Ltd.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pioneer Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; and Warner Home Video Inc.
Full news release here

MPEG LA Expands Call for Blu-ray Disc^TM Patents
Read-Only Audio Video Included
(Denver, Colorado, USA - 5 April 2006) - MPEG LA, LLC today expanded its call for patents essential to the implementation of the Blu-ray Disc^TM Standard to include the System Description Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format Part 3 Audio Visual Basic Specifications Version 1.0 (January 2006). MPEG LA’s plan for forming a joint patent portfolio license to provide users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to the Blu-ray Disc^TM technology as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses was first announced in a 9 November 2005 news release [see http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_05-11-09_bluray.pdf]. The inclusion of the Read-Only Format Version 1, Part 3: Audio Visual Basic Specifications is in addition to the other parts of the standard earlier announced.
Full news release here