|
Please email any questions you have to our
Q&A Department.
Q: What does the AVC Patent Portfolio License cover?
A: The AVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for current AVC
Standard profiles that are covered by Portfolio patents to the extent posted
here. Included are Baseline, Main, Extended, High, High 10, High 4:2:2, High
4:4:4 Predictive, High 10 Intra, High 4:2:2 Intra, High 4:4:4 Intra, CAVLC 4:4:4
Intra, Scalable Baseline, Scalable High and Scalable High Intra.
Q: Who are the essential patent holders (“Licensors”) to the AVC Patent
Portfolio License?
A: Click here.
Q: What are the obligations of the Licensors with regard to their
essential AVC Essential patents?
A: Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant to MPEG LA a worldwide,
nonexclusive license under all AVC Essential Patents that it has the right to
license or sublicense without payment to any third party, allowing MPEG LA to
grant worldwide, nonexclusive sublicenses under such patents under terms of the
AVC Patent Portfolio License.
Q: What is the effect on Licensees when new patents are added to the AVC
Patent Portfolio License?
A: New Licensors and new patents are added at no additional cost during the
current Term of the License. Licensees enjoy coverage under all patents from the
effective date (August 1, 2002) forward.
Q: Are all AVC essential patents included?
A: No assurance is or can be made that the License includes every essential
patent. The purpose of the License is to offer a convenient licensing
alternative to everyone on the same terms and to include as much essential
intellectual property as possible for their convenience. Participation in the
License is voluntary on the part of essential patent holders, however.
Q: How may a patent holder become a Licensor to the AVC Patent Portfolio
License?
A: Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to the AVC
Standard, and wishes to participate in the AVC Patent Portfolio License upon
successful evaluation, is invited to submit them for evaluation and inclusion.
Click here to request a copy of the terms and procedures governing the
patent submission process.
Q: How many licenses does an AVC user need?
A: It is up to each user to determine its own licensing needs and how it
wishes to meet them. The AVC Patent Portfolio License is provided for a user’s
convenience in acquiring patent rights necessary for the AVC Standard from
multiple essential patent holders in a single transaction rather than electing
its option to negotiate separate license agreements with individual essential
patent holders. But, users have the right to separately negotiate a license with
any and all of the essential patent holders under any and all of the essential
patents under terms to be independently negotiated by each. In addition, as
discussed above, users who take MPEG LA’s license may have to negotiate licenses
for essential patents that are not included. A license also may be necessary for
other important patents (which are not essential to the AVC standard) that may
be used.
Q: How is the AVC Patent Portfolio License organized?
A. Please refer to
a summary of the License terms.
Q: What are the royalties for the AVC Patent Portfolio License?
A: Please refer to
a
summary of the License terms.
Q: Do the same licensing terms apply to all profiles of the AVC/H.264
Standard?
A: Yes, the same terms apply whether one or more profiles is used.
Q: What is the Term of the AVC Patent Portfolio License?
A: The initial term runs through December 31, 2010. The License is renewable
for successive five year periods for the useful life of any Portfolio patent on
reasonable terms and conditions.
Q: Is there a limitation on the amount that royalty rates may increase at
each renewal?
A: If royalty rates were to increase, they will not increase by more than
10% at each renewal for specific license grants (except Internet Broadcast AVC
Video, which is provided for in Section 3.1.5 of the License).
|