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6th April 2000
Imagination Technologies to exploit Multimedia patents
QED Appointed To Exploit Further Patents For Efficient Multimedia
Architectures
Imagination Technologies Group plc - the international company that develops,
licenses and supplies market-leading 2D/3D graphics, digital video, audio and
speech technologies and products - has today announced the next step in the company's
strategy to license its technology.
During the creation of Imagination Technologies' intellectual property (IP)
a substantial number of patents have been filed and granted. The company is now
exploiting additional patents from these potentially valuable assets. QED Intellectual
Property Ltd - a subsidiary of Scipher plc and a specialist in patent licensing
- is successfully exploiting Imagination Technologies PC/TV tuner patents (which
it has already licensed to TEMIC Telefunken Hochfrequenztechnik GmbH) and has
now been appointed to manage the licensing of global patents referring to efficient
Multimedia Architectures relevant to PCs, set-top-boxes, game consoles and other
multimedia systems.
The patents, the latest of which was granted at the end of 1999, cover the
integration of video and graphics data within a computing device/system, including
the storage and processing of those signals. As such they are particularly relevant
to many products in which video and graphics signals are to be jointly processed
and displayed, including multimedia PC's, set-top-boxes and games consoles. Additionally
the patents deal with efficient architectures for integration of audio and storage
peripherals via cost-effective serial connection to the system's main memory.
These patents are now available for licensing worldwide, solely from QED.
Says Hossein Yassaie, CEO, Imagination Technologies: "QED's progress with the
licensing of our PC/TV tuner patents has encouraged a growth of the partnership
between the two companies. As a leader in multimedia innovation Imagination Technologies
has a rich patent portfolio. The patents now available relate to efficient multimedia
architectures. When we devised the first of these patents in 1992 the concepts
and devices using these architectures were novel and ground breaking. Today they
have become widespread and thus the scope for these patents is potentially significant."
Says, David Hulston, Managing Director, QED: "We believe that the patent portfolio
is fundamental in this area and that it is already widely used in multimedia hardware.
The tremendous growth in multimedia technology has driven the development of many
products that integrate video and graphics data using the architectures covered
by Imagination Technologies' patents. The market size of these product areas is
considerable. The PC market, for example, reached 112.7 million units in 1999,
according to IDC."
In addition to licensing these patents to companies who are already using the
technology, QED will also be granting licenses for Imagination Technologies' patents
to companies who wish to incorporate them in their new developments.
About Imagination Technologies
Imagination Technologies Group plc is an international company that develops,
licenses and supplies market-leading 2D/3D graphics, digital video, audio and
speech technologies and products for PCs and home entertainment, games consoles,
arcade entertainment machines, mobile devices and digital set-top boxes.
Since it was founded in 1985, the company has introduced, via licensing arrangements
or directly, a succession of innovative technologies, silicon chips and add-in
boards, which have played a major role in the development of multimedia and computer-based
entertainment systems. Imagination Technologies Group plc has its corporate headquarters
in the United Kingdom and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE:IMG).
More information is available on the Imagination Technologies web site at www.imgtec.com
About QED Intellectual Property
Based in Hayes, England, QED licenses Intellectual Property to industry worldwide.
Combining commercial, legal and technical expertise, it operates principally in
the fast growing global markets of Multimedia and Communications. Drawing on world-class
expertise in electronics, optics, magnetics and microengineering, QED manages
a growing portfolio of its own and clients' patents and related IPR. QED is the
intellectual property management arm of Scipher plc (FTSE:SIP).
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