Sisvel and RFID Consortium Launch Patent Licensing Program to Promote Broader Adoption of UHF RFID

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Sisvel US and the RFID Consortium today announced the launch of the ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) patent licensing program.  The new program is a joint effort by 3M, ETRI, France Telecom, HP, LG Electronics, Motorola, ThingMagic, and Zebra Technologies to promote rapid adoption of UHF RFID technology by creating a single license to a portfolio that currently includes all their patents essential to the EPCglobal and ISO/IEC standards for UHF RFID.  This provides a convenient and economical way for UHF RFID developers and manufacturers, as well as firms interested in adding UHF RFID functionality to other products, to license essential patents in a single transaction.  With today's launch, this broad portfolio license is now available to all interested parties.

Those who act by March 2011 can take advantage of a special "early adopter" discount to lock in the lowest available royalty rates for a five-year term.  This limited-time discount can bring the royalty rate for UHF RFID label products to as little as $.80 per one thousand units  For UHF RFID readers, the discount brings the royalty rate to as low as $5.00 per unit.  The effective rates for licensees may vary based upon volume and require execution of a license agreement, which contains other terms and conditions, on or before March 30, 2011.  Full details of these terms and the license agreement can be obtained from Sisvel.

"Our early adopter discount delivers great value to licensees looking to grow in the space in the medium to long term," said Giustino de Sanctis, Chairman of Sisvel US.  "This short term offer goes beyond the program's regular volume discounts to promote adoption of UHF RFID, and it complements special offers available to holders of essential UHF RFID patents that join the Consortium early."  

"The UHF RFID licensing program provides greater certainty and predictability for users of this remarkable technology, and that will only increase as the numbers of both licensors and licensees in the program grow," said Jim O'Hagan, a spokesperson for the RFID Consortium and Director of Patents and Technology for Zebra Technologies Corporation.  "In addition, Sisvel brings administrative expertise, decades of licensing experience, and a practical approach that will benefit licensees, licensors, and end users of RFID."

Participation in the UHF RFID licensing program and the RFID Consortium remains open to all holders of essential patents, regardless of whether they were involved in the development of RFID standards.  Parties interested in obtaining a portfolio license or learning about the patent submission process are encouraged to contact Sisvel's representative Sean Corey at +1 703-820-0626 or by e-mail at [email protected].

About the Sisvel Group

Started in 1982 when Sisvel S.p.A. was founded in Italy, the Sisvel Group has become a world leader in managing intellectual property and maximizing the value of patent rights. The Sisvel Group is global in scope and reach, with companies in Italy (Sisvel in None Torinese and Edico in Rome), the United States (Sisvel US and Audio MPEG in Metropolitan Washington, DC), China (Sisvel Hong Kong), Japan (Sisvel Japan in Tokyo), and Germany (Sisvel Germany in Stuttgart), and with more than seventy professionals worldwide with technical, legal, and licensing expertise.

SISVEL has a long history of managing successful patent portfolios including those related to the audio compression standards known as MP3 and MPEG Audio, and widespread technologies such as OSD (On Screen Display), ATSS (Automatic Tuning & Sorting System), and WSS (Wide Screen Signaling - for automatic switching of television image formats). Most recently SISVEL has been appointed as the administrator of patent pools for the UHF-RFID, CDMA 2000 and DVB-T standards.

About the RFID Consortium

The RFID Consortium, LLC is a limited liability company that licenses patents essential to the practice of ultrahigh frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) standards.  The RFID Consortium's goals are to promote rapid adoption of UHF RFID 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.  The current Members of the RFID Consortium are: 3M Innovative Properties Company, a subsidiary of 3M Company (MMM); Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI); France Telecom (FTE); HP (HPQ); LG Electronics; Motorola, Inc. (MOT); ThingMagic, Inc.; and Zebra Technologies Corporation (ZBRA).  The UHF RFID standards referred to above are the standards announced by EPCglobal Inc. and ISO/IEC including the EPCglobal Generation 1 (Class 0, Class 0+ and Class 1) and Generation 2 (Class 1), and the ISO/IEC 18000-Part 6c (including Amendment 1) parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz for radio frequency identification and the communications and interface protocols and conformance specifications referred to in those documents.

For additional information about Sisvel or the RFID Consortium, please visit www.sisvel.com; www.rfidlicensing.com ; or email [email protected] .

SOURCE Sisvel US, Inc.