The availability of the portfolio follows last November's
release of the Visual Patent Portfolio Licence, which set the price
plan for licensing the technology. The group of 18 patent holders,
known as MPEG LA, includes Apple, Sun Microsystems, Samsung and
France Telecom.
The group says that the new systems licence provides "fair,
reasonable and non-discriminatory access" to the technology.
The royalty rates created controversy when announced in July
2002. According to the licensing terms, owners of web site content
will be able to licence the new video and audio compression format
for $0.25 per subscriber, subject to an annual cap of $1
million.
The fees will be applicable to web site operators that use the
technology for commercial purposes, such as paid advertisements,
pay-per-view services or subscriptions. There will be no royalty
payable by operators with fewer than 50,000 subscribers.
The licensing terms will apply different models to different
business environments. Cable and satellite providers will be
charged on a one-time rate; mobile phone operators will pay the
same fee as internet providers.
