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VIA LICENSING RENEWS CALL FOR UHF RFID PATENTS
San Francisco, December 11, 2007 - Via Licensing Corporation, in association with the RFID Consortium LLC, renews the call for additional essential patent holders to participate in the ultrahigh frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) joint patent licensing arrangement. Via Licensing assisted with the initial identification of essential patent holders and structuring of the joint licensing arrangement for the RFID Consortium LLC.
"Together with the patent holders, we've made significant progress in developing the joint program this year. Now that we have finished the development phase, we are seeking additional licensors prior to the expected launch of the program," said Tony McQuinn, Director of Licensing Programs and Business Development for Via Licensing.
Owners of patents that are essential for the practice of the UHF RFID standard are invited to participate in the joint licensing arrangement. Essential patents include one or more claims that are either necessarily infringed or are necessary to make, use, or sell a product in compliance with the applicable UHF RFID standards. The UHF RFID standards covered by this call are: the EPCglobal Air Interfaces Standards Generation 1 (Class 0, Class 0+, and Class 1) and Generation 2 (Class 1); and ISO/IEC 18000-Part 6c (including Amendment 1) and the communications and interface protocols and conformance specifications referred to in those documents. An independent third-party patent evaluator will review submitted patents to determine their essentiality to the UHF RFID standard.
Any entity that believes it has a granted patent that is essential to the UHF RFID standard is encouraged to contact Via Licensing for information about how to submit patents for evaluation.
Owners of patents found to be essential are eligible to join the RFID Consortium LLC and license such patents through the joint licensing arrangement. Interested patent holders should submit their patents for evaluation prior to January 31, 2008 to assure sufficient time to be included in the initial licenses offered by the RFID Consortium LLC.
Copies of the above referenced standards documents can be obtained online at www.epcglobalinc.org and www.iso.org.
To request information on submitting patents for evaluation, entities should send an email to UHF-RFID@vialicensing.com and specify an interest in making a submission for consideration of essentiality to the UHF RFID standard.
About Via Licensing Corporation
Via Licensing Corporation develops and administers patent licensing programs on behalf of innovative technology companies and for the convenience of licensees. Via Licensing Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) and benefits from the expertise, infrastructure, and strategic business relationships that Dolby has developed in more than 35 years of licensing into the consumer electronics and personal computing markets. Via Licensing is involved in the development and operation of licensing programs for both mandated and de facto or emerging standards. For more information about Via Licensing Corporation, please visit www.vialicensing.com.
About the RFID Consortium LLC
The RFID Consortium LLC is a consortium of companies that own radio frequency identification (RFID) patents. The goals of the Consortium are to promote rapid adoption of UHF RFID in accordance with international standards by facilitating easier access, by manufacturers and customers alike, to essential UHF RFID patents and to provide patent owners the opportunity to receive fair compensation for those patents, all at a reasonable cost to the end-user. For more information about the RFID Consortium LLC, please visit www.rfidlicensing.com.
Certain statements in this press release, including statements relating to the eventual availability of a joint patent license for technologies essential to the UHF RFID standards, the expected timing of the launch of the joint licensing program, and statements in the quote by Via Licensing management, are "forward-looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, and as a result of certain risks and uncertainties actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. The following important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: risks associated with licensing technologies through joint licensing programs; risks associated with licensing industry-standard technologies; risks associated with developing proprietary technology in markets in which "open standards" are adopted; market acceptance of RFID-capable devices; rapid changes in wireless technologies; risks associated with the development of markets for wireless product-identification products; and other risks detailed in Dolby's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including the risks identified under the section captioned "Risk Factors" in its most recent Periodic Report on Form 10-Q or 10-K. Dolby disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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