DVD6C Licensing Group
(Authorized Licensor: Toshiba Corporation)

DVD6C Starts to License Recordable DVD License

September 1, 2003 --- The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C), the industry body representing the seven leading developers of DVD technology and formats—AOL Time Warner Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., IBM Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC)—announced that today it starts the global licensing of essential patents for DVD-Audio and recordable DVD products. Licenses cover both drives and media, including DVD-Audio, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD-Video Recording

The DVD6C joint licensing program was launched in 1999. The DVD6C license portfolio consists of the member's essential patents for the DVD-Video and DVD-ROM Formats. DVD6C currently has over 280 licensees worldwide. Today's announcement marks the addition of DVD-Audio and recordable DVD-related essential patents to the Group's license portfolio.

DVD6C announced on November 19, 2002 that it expected to start licensing of essential patents for DVD-Audio and recordable DVD products on or about January 1, 2003. The royalty fees under this program are substantially the same as those announced on November 19, 2002, except for the adoption of a maximum royalty of US$8.00 for Read-only DVD Players ( DVD-Video Player, DVD-ROM Drive, DVD-Audio Player, DVD-Multi Player or any combination thereof ) and the reduction of the DVD-Audio Disc royalty to US$0.05/Disc effective as of January 1, 2004.

The license does not include +RW recorder patents, and such patents need to be individually licensed by member companies, although +RW function only recorders that have DVD Player function shall be licensed under DVD-ROM/Video essential patents as DVD Players.