“AT&T has begun to name names in its hunt to license its MPEG video compression patents. AT&T possesses several patents related to video compression, which the company says are an essential component of the MPEG-4 video technology. In a bid to drive its global licensing program, AT&T has targeted Apple Computer, Inc., CyberLink Corp., DivX, Inc., InterVideo, Inc., and Sonic Solutions as unlicensed companies whose products and software utilize the MPEG-4 technology,” Bary Alyssa Johnson and Mark Hachman report for PC Magazine. “AT&T has also contacted national retailers that distribute products from the companies listed above, to let them know that they may be held liable for infringement.”
Johnson and Hachman report, “All of the companies named in the letter are involved with the editing, processing, or playback of video. With its video-enabled iPod, Apple is a high-profile target. ‘This is all standard stuff, the only thing that makes it sexy is the fact that Video iPods [and similar products] are now very popular,’ said Greg Aharonian, editor of the Internet Patent News Service. ‘So if any of those companies are using this technology, they may have a problem.'”
Full article here.
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