DVB-H: SISVEL Announces Development of a Joint Patent License and Issues a Call for Essential Patents

TURIN, Italy — SISVEL announced today that it is acting as the facilitator for the creation of a DVB-H joint patent licensing program and is issuing a call for patents and other enforceable patent rights that are essential to the DVB-H standard.

SISVEL is organizing this joint licensing program to make DVB-H technology accessible to all users at fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. SISVEL invites all parties that believe to have a patent that is essential to the DVB-H standard and would like to join a patent portfolio license to submit their patent(s) for an evaluation of essentiality by the independent patent experts entrusted by Sisvel. Interested parties are invited to request information on the terms and procedures for patent submission by sending an email to SISVEL at the following address: dvb-h@sisvel.com.

Sisvel’s efforts to organize a DVB-H joint licensing program are in accordance with the request to the industry, addressed by the EU telecoms and media Commissioner, Ms. Reding, to provide certainty regarding technology licensing terms and conditions as a requirement for the Commission’s support to European standardized solutions, such as DVB-H.

Although the parties holding the relevant IP rights were previously unable to reach an agreement on the development of a DVB-H joint licensing program, even though assisted by a previous facilitator, SISVEL is confident that with its experience and with the assistance of the patent holders, it will be possible to make rapid progress toward building an overall framework for such a joint licensing program.

The Chief Executive Officer of SISVEL, Gianni Pancot, said: “Sisvel is proud to act as the facilitator in the creation of a DVB-H joint patent licensing program.” He added: “We believe in the potential of this innovative European standardised solution and will work to provide the industry with the certainty and predictability on licensing terms and conditions which they need to invest with confidence in this new technology.”

Several meetings will be held in the coming weeks to reach consensus on licensing terms with the objective of reaching an agreement on a program as soon as possible. Upon successful evaluation, all parties holding essential patents will be in a position to join the program.