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18 August 1999
QED Signs First Licensee for Videologic PC/TV Tuner Patent
Videologic expands on its technology licensing - Engages QED
Intellectual Property Ltd to Exploit Patents.
VideoLogic – the international company that develops, designs and supplies
market-leading 2D/3D graphics, video and audio technologies and products –
has today announced the next step in the company’s strategy to license its
technology.
During the creation of VideoLogic’s technology a substantial number of
patents have been filed and granted. The company is now beginning to exploit these
potentially valuable assets by appointing QED Intellectual Property Ltd –
a specialist in patent licensing - initially to exploit VideoLogic’s PC/TV
tuner patents. It is expected that the agreement between VideoLogic and QED will
be extended to other VideoLogic patents in due course
The first patents deal with the integration of a TV tuner card inside a PC,
receiving and demodulating broadcast TV signals, extracting data from the signals
and storing the extracted data on the PC for further processing. These patents
are now available for licensing worldwide, solely from QED and are of specific
relevance to manufacturers of PC/TV tuner cards and PC systems incorporating TV
connection and tuning capability.
Says, Stephen Potter, commercial director, QED: "We believe that the patent
portfolio is fundamental in this area and that it is already widely used in the
TV tuner card market. We also believe that in the future this patent may have
significant implications as the TV and PC industries converge."
QED has also announced today that TEMIC Telefunken Hochfrequenztechnik GmbH
will be the first licensee for this particular patent and has signed an agreement
with QED to license the patents for TV-Tuner technology developed by VideoLogic.
TEMIC is a world leader in the supply of tuners for PC/TV tuner cards. Through
this license agreement Temic’s customers will have the use of the patented
technology for their PC/TV applications.
Says Hossein Yassaie, president and chief executive officer, VideoLogic: “QED’s
progress with the licensing of our PC/TV tuner patents shows the real strength
of these patents. As a leader in multimedia innovation VideoLogic has a rich patent
portfolio. It is a part of our strategy to exploit, wherever possible and at the
appropriate time, our relevant patents as a further revenue source for the company.”
TV tuner cards are commonly available from retail computer stores and, once
installed, allow the user to watch TV on their PC whilst simultaneously using
other PC applications. These 'add-on' cards retail at between $100-$200 (US).
The market in the United States alone is currently worth in excess of $200m. PCs
are increasingly being sold with TV tuner cards pre-installed. In addition to
licensing these patents to companies who are already using the technology, QED
will also be granting licenses for VideoLogic’s patents to companies who
wish to incorporate them in their new developments.
EE
Times coverage, 27 August 1999
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