DENVER, CO, US – October 16, 2008 – MPEG LA, LLC today announced that Target Corporation has entered into the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License offered by MPEG LA. Under the License with MPEG LA, Target will be responsible for paying royalties on its own store branded MPEG-2 products including digital TVs and DVD players sold under the name Trutech®. As a result of this agreement, several companies that license their essential MPEG-2 patents through MPEG LA dismissed a patent enforcement action pending before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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 more than 870 MPEG-2 essential patents in 57 countries, has more than 1400 licensees accounting for most MPEG-2 products including set-top boxes, DVD players, digital television sets, personal computers and DVD Video 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.