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Via Licensing Issues New Call For Essential Patents

24.01.2006

San Francisco, January 24th 2006– Via Licensing Corporation is pleased to issue the following call for essential patents reading on portions of the Globally Executable MHP (GEM) standard. Specifically, Via’s patent call is for patents essential to the packaged media targets, enhanced profile and interactive profile, as identified in GEM 1.0.2 (ETSI TS 102 819 v.1.3.1). The Blu-ray Disc Association has selected the GEM 1.0.2 packaged media target profiles for the Blu-ray Disc read-only specification for use in Blu-ray Disc players.

The Globally Executable version of the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP), known as GEM 1.0.2, was developed with profiles that could be used by the next generation of optical storage media, players, and recorders.

“We look forward to developing a license for the practice of GEM packaged media target profiles. With our MHP and OCAP licensing programs under development and our recently launched TV-Anytime licensing program, we are excited to further serve the market in licensing patents for interactive television standards,” said Ramzi Haidamus, President, Via Licensing Corporation.

Copies of the GEM 1.0.2 specification can be obtained from ETSI at www.etsi.org.

The goal of this call for patents is to identify the owners of patents that are essential for the practice of the GEM 1.0.2 standard. Essential patents are issued patents that have one or more claims that necessarily and unavoidably would be infringed by the implementation or use of the GEM standard. Patent owners are encouraged to submit patents for evaluation by January 31, 2006, to facilitate completion of the review prior to the initial meeting of the licensing committee.

Any entity that believes it has granted patents that are essential to the mandatory normative portions of GEM packaged media targets or enhanced or interactive profiles, and that wishes to participate in a group consisting of essential patent holders that will convene to discuss the commercialization terms for patents essential to the standard under fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms, is invited to contact Via Licensing Corporation for information about how to submit patents for evaluation.

Please request such information by sending an email to submissions@vialicensing.com, specifying your interest in making a submission for consideration of essentiality to the GEM 1.0.2 standard.