Panasonic, Philips and Sony set up a single license for the Blu-ray products

Company Panasonic, Philips and Sony today announced the decision to create a single license for products using Blu-ray discs, and invite the other holders of patents, technology Blu-ray Disc to join their initiative. As expected, the new license that will cover the basic patents Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD, will be represented by the middle of this year. To promote the new licensing company will create a new independent licensing company with head office in the United States and affiliates in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Director-General of the new company will be chaired by Mr. Rosenthal, Gerald (Gerald Rosenthal), the former head of IP (Unit for the Protection of Intellectual Property and Licensing) at IBM, but in recent years - the general director of Open Invention Network.

Three of the founders of a single license believe that this approach will stimulate the growth of the Blu-Ray Disc products. Companies offer a holder of patents on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD to join their organization as a licensor and a shareholder.

Licenses under the new program will be US $ 9.50 for Blu-ray Disc players and US $ 14.00 for Blu-ray Disc recorders. For conventional disc Blu-ray Disc this fee will be US $ 0.11 per piece, but for recordable and rewritable discs - US $ 0.12 and the US $ 0.15, respectively. In the companies argue that the licensing program would be much better funded system of royalties for individual licenses for the formats of Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD, and will reduce the cost of licensing, at 40%.