Via Licensing Announces Joint Patent License for Interactive Television Services Using the DVB-MHP Standard

SAN FRANCISCO — Via Licensing Corporation is pleased to announce the availability of a worldwide joint license agreement for patents deemed essential to implement the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB®) Multimedia Home Platform 1.0 standard (MHP® 1.0).

Companies that hold essential patents to the MHP standard that are participating in the joint licensing program for MHP include Comcast, LG Electronics, OpenTV, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.), Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Time Warner Cable. Via Licensing is acting as the licensing administrator for the program.

The MHP standard addresses enhanced digital TV (one-way services) and digital interactive TV (two-way services), independent of the underlying, vendor-specific hardware and software. MHP enables manufacturers and retailers of set-top boxes, television receivers, and other products to build and sell to consumers devices that will support enhanced and interactive digital services that use DVB-MHP specified transmission systems.

“We believe that the MHP joint license agreement will aid in promoting adoption of MHP by the market by allowing efficient access to patents essential to the practice of the MHP 1.0 standard,” said Helene Jay, Via Licensing’s Director of Business Development in Europe.

Companies that offer MHP end-user products or services should visit www.vialicensing.com to learn more about the terms of the joint patent license and to request a sample agreement for review. Details for the joint licensing program are:

1. Device Fees $1.75 per device

Device manufacturers executing a license within the first six months from the availability of the license will benefit from a 15 percent discount on royalties due for products sold prior to the availability of the license.

2. MHP Services Provided By Subscription-Based Service Provider

$0.25 per subscriber (household) per year.

Option: One-time fee of $1.25 per subscriber (household) for the five-year license term.

3. MHP Services Provided By Free-to-Air Broadcasters

3.1. Free-to-Air Broadcasters Generating No Revenue from MHP

Free-to-Air broadcasters broadcasting MHP content without generating any revenue from MHP may choose one of the two following options for the initial five-year term of the license:

Option 1: Flat-Fee Payment of $3,000/year for five years OR a one-time fee of $10,000 (payable at commencement) for the five-year license term. The fees payable under Option 1 will be applicable from the initial availability of the license.

Option 2: Royalties Based Upon Receiver Penetration

The fees identified in the table below are payable from January 1, 2009.

Number of Households with MHP Receivers    Fees/Year
---------------------------------------    ---------
0-100,000                                         $0
100,001-500,000                               $6,000
500,001-1,000,000                             $9,000
1,000,001-2,500,000                          $15,000
2,500,001-                                   $30,000

3.2. Free-to-Air Broadcasters Generating Revenue from MHP-Advertising Only

Number of Households with MHP Receivers    Fees/Year
---------------------------------------    ---------
0-100,000                                         $0
100,001-500,000                              $10,000
500,001-1,000,000                            $15,000
1,000,001-2,500,000                          $25,000
2,500,001-                                   $50,000

3.3 Free-to-Air Broadcasters Generating Revenue from MHP Service(s) Other Than Advertising (Which Revenues May Include MHP-Advertising Revenue)

Number of Households with MHP Receivers    Fees/Year
---------------------------------------    ---------
0-100,000                                         $0
100,001-500,000                              $20,000
500,001-1,000,000                            $30,000
1,000,001-2,500,000                          $50,000
2,500,001-                                  $100,000

4. Initial Administrative Fee

An initial one-time administrative fee of $15,000 per licensee is due upon execution of the joint license agreement. For a Small Entity, defined as a company having fifteen or fewer employees and less than $1M (US) of gross annual revenue, the initial administrative fee is $1,000. All fees, terms, and conditions may be subject to change.