DVD6C Announces Revised Rate Program for DVD Read-Only Discs

TOKYO - Tuesday, December 20th 2011 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DVD6C Licensing Group (Authorized Licensor: Toshiba Corporation)

The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C) consisting of nine leading developers of DVD technology and formats — Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd., JVC KENWOOD Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. — today announced that it is revising its worldwide patent licensing program to offer a reduced royalty rate for DVD Read-Only Discs to licensees in good standing.

Specifically, the revised licensing program provides for a reduced rate – from US$0.04 to US$0.0375 per disc – for Read-Only Discs (DVD-Video Discs, DVD-ROM Discs, and DVD-Audio Discs) for licensees in good standing, i.e., licensees who have no overdue or incorrect royalty reports or overdue or underpaid royalties (including back royalties) and are otherwise in compliance with their license agreement with DVD6C. This reduced royalty rate will be available to such licensees for Read-Only Discs sold or otherwise transferred during any reporting period beginning on or after July 1, 2011, provided that the licensee was in good standing as of the due date for payment of royalties for the immediately preceding reporting period or, to qualify for the reduced rate for the second half of 2011, that the licensee entered into a new license agreement incorporating the revised royalty terms and was in good standing as of January 31, 2012. Licensees shall not be considered in good standing for any period for which an audit has revealed an underpayment of royalties of greater than 3%.

New or existing licensees interested in receiving the reduced royalty rate may enter into a new license agreement incorporating the revised royalty terms. Only those licensees who enter into a revised agreement will be eligible for the reduced royalty rate, and only those who sign the revised agreement by, and are in good standing on, January 31, 2012, will qualify for the reduced rate for the second half of 2011.

Interested parties will remain free to negotiate individual license agreements with DVD6C's member companies, rather than entering into a single portfolio license or license for a category of products. The member companies have committed to provide such licenses under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions.

For further information regarding the DVD6C licensing program, please visit the 6C web site (www.dvd6cla.com) or contact one of the following regional contacts:

Japan:

Masayuki Miyanaga

President

General Manager, Licensing & Contracts Division

Toshiba DVD License Services, Inc.

5th Floor, Sumitomo-Hamamatsucho Bldg.

18-16, Hamamatsucho 1-chome, Minato-ku

Tokyo 105-0013, Japan

Phone: +81-3-5777-3286

Fax: +81-3-5401-2503

E-mail: dvd6c-jp@dvd6cla.com


Europe and Africa:

Doris Reed

DVD6C Licensing Administrator

Toshiba Information Systems (U.K.) Ltd.

Toshiba Court

Weybridge Business Park,

Addlestone Road,

Weybridge, Surrey KT15 2UL

United Kingdom

Phone: +44(0)1932 825061

Fax: +44(0)1932 839121

E-mail: dvd6c-eu@dvd6cla.com


Asia (excluding Japan), Oceania and the Middle East:

Hideaki Kusaba

Senior Manager

DVD Licensing Center

Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.

292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku,

Yokohama, 244-0817, Japan

Phone: +81-45-415-2135

Fax: +81-45-866-5824

E-Mail: dli-inquiry.ps@itg.hitachi.co.jp


The Americas:

Koichiro Endo

Regional Contact for Americas, Panasonic

201 Redwood Shores Parkway, Room #410,

Redwood Shores, California 94065, USA

Phone: 650-802-3146

Fax: 650-802-3100

E-Mail: dvd6c@gg.jp.panasonic.com

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation

Mari Mikami, +81-3-3457-2105

Corporate Communications Office

Fax: +81-3-5444-9202

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/index.htm