The patent is owned by Compression Labs which applied for it in
1986, but Compression Labs never pursued royalties. Forgent
subsequently acquired Compression Labs.
Forgent has the sole and exclusive right to use and license all
the claims under the patent that implement JPEG in all "fields of
use" except in the satellite broadcast business.
Forgent's "fields of use" for licensing opportunities include
digital cameras, digital still image devices, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones that download images,
browsers, digital camcorders with a still image function, scanners
and other devices used to compress, store, manipulate, print or
transmit digital images.
Richard Snyder, chairman and chief executive officer at Forgent,
said:
"We wanted to ensure the investment
community and the general public are clear about the terms of our
valuable JPEG data compression technology, one of the many
technologies we have in our patent portfolio. We are in ongoing
discussions with other manufacturers of digital still cameras,
printers, scanners and other products that use JPEG technology for
licensing opportunities."
Forgent recently announced a licensing agreement with Sony for
which Sony paid Forgent the sum of $15 million.
